Strange Interlude
by Trinity-33
Summary: Shortly after Inu- was bound to a tree 50 yrs ago, Sessho- experienced an entrapment of his own. Present: a girl finds the BoneEater's Well and goes to the Feudal Era. She frees Sessho- and together they ride the fast-paced rollercoaster of life & love.
1. Prologue

**REVISED**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from InuYasha. **

**Strange Interlude**

**Prologue**

An eerie fog crept through the trees and shrubs of a dark forest. The noises of the night rejoiced the cool breeze and the warm yellow moon, but this nocturnal serenade was soon interrupted by the light crunching of leaves. As the crunching became louder, the forest began to hear voices.

"...forest is approxiamately 12.4 kilometers from the village of your brother. Oh! Lord Sesshomaru, have you heard? InuYasha is dead!"

It was a small green imp who said this. A larger, ill-defined demon walked next to him

The taller demon's eyes narrowed at the mention at this name, as if it held some signifigance. A strange light glinted in his eyes, "Explain."

The little imp responded, "A priestess pinned that worthless brother of yours to a tree using only an arrow".

The demonic duo crossed into a clearing, and the golden moonlight washed over them. The regal demon called Sesshomaru looked up at the near-full moon, his amber eyes gazing over its fullness and size. "And it killed him?" he asked his humble vassal.

"Yes," Jaken nodded. He thought a moment, then looked up at his master's inattentive eyes. "Well," he began,"not exactly. InuYasha's heart no longer beats, but his flesh and body remain intact."

"Interesting," responded the silver-haired demon. "It seems that I have no need to kill him now that a human has already done it." Sesshomaru slowly turned his gaze north toward the village of his late brother. Could he sense InuYasha's body, frozen in time?

There was a flash of white from behind the bushes. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes still further, immediately snapping his head in the direction of the disturbance.

"True. You no longer have the need," came a voice from behind him, "because I am the one who killed him."

Sesshomaru whirled around. There stood an old human. He held one hand behind his curled back, using the other to stroke his long white beard.

How dare a human approach him! Sesshomaru thought, but one whiff from the air told him the truth. He was not human.

"And who are you?" Sesshomaru questioned.

"I," spoke the elderly-looking demon, "am Basoni the Old. And I have done as you've wished and deposed of that troublesome half-demon for you. Now what will you pay me in return for my services?"

"You?" Sesshomaru scoffed. "From what I understand it was a young priestess who killed the hanyou."

"Ah yes. It was her hands that smote him, but I am the one who willed those same hands to kill."

"You have done me no great favor. All you have managed to do is kill an irritating mosquito. You and I never had contract. Now leave."

The demon called Basoni lowered his head to reveal to Sesshomaru his reddened eyes: "I am not to be paid for my service then? Well, if not in gold or land, I will still need something for payment." Basoni pretended to think. "Let's see...if you are unwiling to pay with currency or goods, how about paying with your life?"

"Was that a challenge?"

The old man grinned, and with a frightening smile, brought himself upright. His crooked back cracked with every straightenng vertabrae, and his frail appearance quickly turned to that of a frightening opponent. His hair, once gray and dull now fierce and black, undulated all around him.

But Sesshomaru would not give a reaction; he found it too obvious that this "old demon" was a shapeshifter. After this lack of response from the noble Lord of the West, the creature Basoni launched his attack. With punches and swipes the reckless foe attacked Sesshomaru, but the latter only stepped backward with every lunge. Jaken, the impish vassal shrieked and quickly ran behind the trees, peaking over a low branch to watch the fast-paced battle. Sesshomaru continued to dodge the red-eyed demon, who frantically lunged and slashed with his dagger-like hands.

Sesshomaru sighed. This was annoying and a waste of time. Sesshomaru's eyes took on a fiery glint as he changed strategies. His feet touched lightly to the ground and pushed off toward the shapeshifting fiend. Sesshomaru's right hand glowed bright and golden with energy. The light elongated and Basoni was struck in the chest. Knocked back with blood coming from his mouth, the young-again demon fell crouched to the ground. Sesshomaru smirked and leapt int othe air to finish him off.

Sputtering blood, Basoni quickly uttered a spell that froze Sesshomaru in mid-attack.

The beaten demon rose as if all his injuries had disappeared. He smiled wickedly, "You really thought you could beat me?"

Sesshomaru stared coldly until he too smiled wickedly, "But I have won," he assured Basoni.

Suddenly a bright red line appeared across Basoni's chest. The cut burst open and blood gushed from him. He fell again to his knees and was breathing very heavily; it became apparent that he would soon die.

Basoni yelled in rage and began to mutter another spell. The spell was long and fast, and Sesshomaru, still frozen, could do nothing to get away.

When he was finished, he locked eyes with Sesshomaru, "Now it is I who has won."

Sesshomaru then felt a strange numbness in his foot. He tried to shake it off, but paralysis prevented him from moving his foot. Sesshomaru felt the tingling sensation continue to travel up his legs. He looked down at them the best he could and found that the numb feeling was actually his body turning to stone.

Basoni began to laugh a horribly wicked laugh. As flesh and bone turned to denser stone, those body parts began to compact upon each other. Sesshomaru's arms, sash, armor, and stoll were flattened as his stone body melted into a short stone block.

Sesshomaru tilted what was left of his head upward to take one last look at the starry sky. It angered him so much that he had fallen under this spell and would never again see the night, that Sesshomaru swore revenge on the foul trickster.

It was at this time that his head decided to join the rest of his body and sank into the face of the stone.

A bright light signaled the end of the transformation. All that was left of Sesshomaru was a stone block barely 3 ft. tall. Anything that resembled him was no longer, except for a single one of his eyes peering toward the heavens and the brightly-lit moon.

Jaken stared in awe at the old man's feat and with horrorat his master's demise. The audacity of the situation empowered Jaken to blindly launch a counterattack against the half-dead murderer with the Staff of Skulls. But before the imp could even swallow the lump in his throat and attack, the mysterious demon had disappeared into the woods.

* * *

Basoni grasped his chest. He crawled into the depths of the trees, then straightened. Basoni bent down and from the bushes pulled out a white baboon skin.

* * *

**A/N: After much delay I have finally posted my fanfic. This is my first fic on here so as always be gentle, but flame if you need to. That was the prologue. Chapter 1 will be posted soon. Please Read and Review. !**

**Note: I rewrote this on January 15, 2005. The old version was ill-described and was the work of a talentless freshman in high school. Now altered, it represents more the work of a sevventeen year old senior, instead of a fourteen year old freshman.**


	2. Chapter 1

**REVISED**

**Disclaimer: I own no one or no thing from InuYasha but all people or things that are not InuYasha are either owned or made up by me. **

**Strange Interlude**

**Chapter the First**

In the year 2005 , a group of American High School students participated in an exchange program with Japan. Among the few selected to go was a senior, Jennifer. She had black hair that came down past her shoulders, and dark brown eyes. She was a daydreamer, a romanticist, and a Catholic. But above all else she was a die-hard fan of anime, InuYasha being her favorite.

Having studied the language and culture of Japan for over 5 years, she finally was able to come to one of the greatest countries ever established. This great country, being second only to China has been a place Jennifer has wanted to visit since she was little. She was naturally excited about the opportunity and hoped that while in Japan, she could spend her time buying manga and art books. But as it turns out, Japan isn't all fun and anime.

"Shrine and temples serve a great purpose in Japan..." began a nasally Japanese voice. He was trying his best to speak perfect English for his foreign guests, but everyone knew except the poor man that he was far from perfect.

Jennifer rolled her eyes, _"Oh great, once the tour guide starts talking, he won't shut up."_

"Most Japanese family manage deir own shrines where dey practice the Shinto religion and sometime Buddhism."

Jennifer tuned out the lecture: _"Why is this so boring? I thought we were going to go shopping and hang out with our host families."_

"Dis is our next stop. As I say earlier, most shrines of the family are no longer in use except for tourism purposes and gift shops..."

Jennifer climbed out the tour bus with the rest of her "eager-eyed" group and looked to where the tour guide was directing them. She was greeted with a set of at least 300 steps up to the shrine.

Jennifer grudgingly trudged up the stairs while the tour guide droned on about the economical as well as spiritual importance of Shinto shrines. Too much time passed as Jennifer counted steps. 334 steps later they had reached the top. The whole group was exhausted from the trip, except for of course, Tattershall Sensei, their esteemed Chinese/Japanese instructor, whose physical fitness was unbridled. Her childlike nature, frizzy red hair, and her love of Star Trek made her a fanciful sight in both Japan and China. She tried to restore vigor into the group,

"C'mon guys, that was worth it! Look at all the history" This attempt got no response. Until...

"Welcome group, to the Shrine Higurashi. It is uncertain when the shrine was first established but..."

Jennifer became very alert after hearing this. _"...Higurashi...but that's... ! "_

Despite the fact Higurashi was a common enough last name, Jennifer couldn't help but think of her favorite series by Rumiko Takahashi. She had become suddenly engrossed in what the tour guide had to say, much to the praise of the Tatter-tart. But much to Jennifer's dismay, the middle-aged Japanese gentleman did not mention anything about a girl that fell through a well or the half-man, half-dog demon InuYasha.

Of course not!

But when passing the enclosing where the well was supposed to be, Jennifer felt inclined to satisfy her curiosity. So as the rest of the group wandered off to the gift shop, Jennifer lagged behind. _"It's ridiculous, but I gotta at least try , "_ she thought. _"What other chance will I have to be at this shrine ? "_

She snuck around the building. "Besides" she mumbled to herself"the worst that will happen is that I'll fall on my butt and make an ass out of myself."

She waited until no one was looking and ran into the roped off house where she found the mysterious Bone-Eater's Well, just where it was supposed to be.

"But wait" she thought. "Don't you need a Shikon shard to be able to pass through the well ? "

()()()FLASHBACK()()()

"Ooh! Grandpa, where did you get that ring ? "

A five-year-old Jennifer looked up into her grandfather's eyes awaiting the fabled story he had no doubt partially made up.

"Well sweetie, when I was in the war, I found this little jewel in a desert market in Japan. Or...was it Egypt? Anyway, I stumbled upon this little gem when I caught a guy cheating in a street game of 5 Card Stud."

The young, impressionable little girl knew not of Poker or of the 'deserts of Japan', but continued to take in all her wise grandfather had to say. She interrupted him at a boring part.

"It's really pretty. Can I have it?"

The kind old man smiled, "Of course, sweetie."

He placed the ring on her finger. He told her he had had it specially fitted just for her 5th birthday.

"Do you know what kind of gem that is? " he asked her.

"No, " she said while musing at its glimmer. "Is it called 'Pink' ? " she asked, her naivety shining through.

The grandfather had a nice little chuckle.

"No sweetie, " he answered. "It's a very rare amethyst. It's worth lots of money, so hang on to it, ok ? "

"Ok! Ah-mee-thist. Amethyst ! "

He smiled and stroked her smooth, raven hair, before coughing a huge wheezing cough.

()()()END FLASHBACK()()()

Jennifer's grandfather had died that next year of lung cancer. It was very painful for her. She had lost her very best friend. But she still had the small ring in remembrance of him. She vowed to wear it everyday in his loving memory.

But, of course, as Jennifer got older, the tiny band would no longer fit. She still felt strongly about wearing her grandfather's keepsake, so she strung the ring on a silver chain and wore it around her neck. Several years ago, when she discovered the wide world of InuYasha, she took a second look at the ring. It seemed very similar it in color and to that of the Shikon jewel. Jennifer's imagination got the best of her, when she imagined to actually be a piece of the Jewel. In pitiful earnest, she went to a jeweler to find out what it really was. The jeweler had laughed at her. He revealed to her that it had the same consistency of a ring found in the little vending machines, probably worth less than a quarter.

But now that she was in the Land of the Rising Sun, anything seemed possible. _"Please, let my imagination become reality , "_ she silently prayed.

She pulled out the chain around her neck. It was hardly noticeable, but she could've sworn she saw the rounded gem, glow. Jennifer threw one of her legs over the wall of the well, straddling it like a horse, and then swung the other over. There was no ladder like in the real feudal fairytale but Jennifer made due by holding herself up by her elbows. She clutched the ring in one hand and let go of the wall, plunging into the Sacred Well of Higurashi Shrine.

It was a longer fall than she expected. Surely the Japanese government would've filled in all the dry wells, but it seemed that they had dug this one deeper, perhaps to find more water.

Anyway she was falling and felt that she would probably just keep on falling, until suddenly she hit bedrock. She landed squarely on her back, the wind immediately knocked out of her. Her head hit a rock, and she was knocked unconscious. The chained ring around her neck lay gently on her chest. Seconds later, the gemstone shone brightly.

The light from the jewel began to dim. Jennifer lay on her back still unconscious. Her eyelids fluttered and slowly opened. The raven-haired teen sat up and grasped her head. She looked up and saw darkness. Had the well been capped off? Was there a cave-in while she was KOed? She could see nothing save several far away specks of light.

"Stars ? " she pondered. "But since when is this an open shrine ? "

She stood, looked up, and squinted into the darkness.

"I must've been out for a long time. It's night out."

She felt along the brick and dirt wall, and found a relatively strong vine. She grabbed onto it and began to climb the old well.

"Well that was a bust. God! I feel so stupid. I'll probably be expelled for ditching the group. I wonder why they didn't look for me. I can probably taxi to the ho-TEL ! "

Jennifer's foot slipped causing her to slide several feet down the side of the well. She caught her foot on one of the bricks, took a moment to recover, and then continued her climb.

She muttered"As soon as I get out of this well, that is."

At long last, Jennifer reached the top and pulled herself out. Her eyes adjusted to the faint moonlight and she was able to take in her surroundings.

"I'm outside..." she wondered aloud. "But where's the shrine? What's with all the trees? Were there this many trees here before? I shouldn't be anywhere else...Unless..." her eyes widened"IT WORKED ! "

She continued in loud ecstasy , "I'M in the FEUDAL ERA ! "

CAAW! CAAW!

_"Oops... I gotta remember there are monsters and demons here, and... _InuYasha! "

As the great name was spoken, a strong wind blew.

She shivered"Maybe I should've brought a jacket."

Jennifer turned to look toward the wind and thought she saw a dark figure standing in the distance behind the shadow of the trees. Jennifer became quite inquisitive as to what was behind the tree line and crept, almost unnecessarily, toward the darkened path.

After traveling a ways into the woods, she came upon a small clearing. It was very dark except for a concentrated beam of moonlight that shone upon a low stone table. She approached it rather cautiously, and when she looked upon the table where the moonbeam shone, she found a simple carving of an eye.

Jennifer passed her hand over the stone to block the light from the moon. The pupil of the eye grew large. She moved her hand away and watched the indented stone return to a sliver. She then leaned over to peer more closely at the unusual drawing.

"This is strange , " she said aloud. "What in the feudal era is this? If I'm where I think I am, I'm not sure this is supposed to exist."

She looked around. _"Kaede's village is supposed to be nearby." _

Jennifer thought about walking on to find it, but found herself gazing back at the unblinking eye.

"I wonder if InuYasha is in the village . " she mused, touching the stone above its eyelid.

A brilliant gust of wind rose up almost knocking her over. Jennifer grasped the tabletop, upon feeling the vicious wind, and the gust partially subsided.

"Is it just me, or does the wind pickup when I mention InuYasha ? "

The wind's force became uncontrollable and blasted Jennifer to the ground, sending her several feet away from the stone. The wind then came to an abrupt stop.

"That wind is definitely coming from the stone , " Jennifer proclaimed. "It's reacting negatively to that name. Whatever it is, it must despise Inu-er...him. But who or what could that be ? "

Flashbacks and fast forwards of the anime played in Jennifer's mind, but of all the people and demons who would have had a reason to dislike InuYasha had nothing to do with the strange stone pedestal.

She continued to ponder until she heard a low whisper rise up from the carved stone.

"...Basoni..."

Jennifer flinched at the sudden sound. She crawled on hands and knees back toward the stone. Standing, she could see the eyeball move very sporadically within its confines. Perplexed, the American stepped back and studied the entirety of the rocky column. Toward the bottom, the inquisitive youth found an inscription reading:

"Here lies a powerful demon, whose deadly claws might have slain many a  
human.

"He hath here been sealed away so as to no longer wreak havoc upon the  
world."

Intrigued, Jennifer ran to the other side of the strange rock, and on the other side of the table, saw a scratched out verse:

"Seal...the...eye  
No...open  
...if..lips..kiss.  
This..would be... "

She read it aloud, or at least what she could read of it, anyway.

"That...does not make any sense...Curse the Japanese and their complicated grammar." But seriously"The eye... 'Seal the eye'...How do I do that? 'If lips kiss'...Do they want me to kiss it? That's disgusting ! "

However, the 1st grade grotesqueness faded fast. Her eyes softened and she said hauntingly"But it's so beautiful."

Jennifer stroked around the eye with her finger. It watched her with a cold malicious glare, staring straight through her. Captivated as if under a spell, Jennifer leant forward toward the rock. She closed her eyes and gave it a quick kiss.

The ground began to shake. Jennifer was knocked out of her trance, and quickly took a couple steps back. In horror she stared at the stone pedestal. The faded verse on the stone's side now shone fiercely, and seconds later the rock seemed to shoot up from the ground, launching the defined verse to Jennifer's eye level.

"Sealed away the unblinking eye

No good soul would dare reopen

Only released if pure lips doth it touch

This world would be no more."

"...shit..." she whispered.

The rock continued to grow, and the air blew all around her. In no time at all, it towered over her, at least an entire foot above her head. The trees ached and moaned at the stress the wind was putting on their branches. Jennifer, however, was unaffected. A strange aura surrounded her, protecting her from the spontaneous windstorm.

Several seconds passed, and the jagged features of the rock began to take shape. The edges were smoothed and the cracks filled. Adding to its height, the stone creature began to resemble something human.

Jennifer couldn't figure out who or what it was. Not until she saw the formation of a long, furry cloak that rested upon the right shoulder on the creature could she determine the figure to resemble...

"Sesshomaru ! " Jennifer gasped.

A wave of color came upon the statue as the stone turned to flesh. A great upheaval of wind blew around him like a twister, subsiding a moment later to reveal the grand demon, Sesshomaru. He raised a palm about a foot away from his face, and flexed his newly restored fingers and claws.

Jennifer stepped backward slowly, then tripped on a fallen branch and stumbled to the ground. Sesshomaru looked at her menacingly. He stepped down off his tiny stone prison, and walked toward where she sat.

Jennifer stared up at him in wonder and fright. A moment passed between them in silence, until he stuck out his right hand. Jennifer flinched but then saw Sesshomaru's outstretched palm and hesitantly took it. The great and powerful youkai helped up the fallen human.

"Th-thank you." she stammered.

His expression was unchanged.

Once she stood, Sesshomaru let go and thrust that same hand into the gracious human's shoulder. Poison claws tore at her flesh, and a stifled gasp escaped Jennifer's lips. He removed the large hand, and watched the human fall to the ground. Pants and tears emitted from her as she gazed upward at the villain.

Sesshomaru made the energy-whip with his hand and raised it high above his head to strike at her. With her right hand, Jennifer grasped her bleeding shoulder and struggled to stay conscious. She feared what was to come.

_"I'm going to die..."_ Jennifer thought, her eyes filling with tears.

She watched in horror as the crackling whip of Sesshomaru came down.

"Don't" she pleaded in Japanese. "Please stop."

The energy from the whip stopped only inches from her face. It was so close that Jennifer could feel the heat given off by the sword. Sesshomaru turned his head and painstakingly evaporated his weapon.

_"What's going on ? "_ Jennifer thought, _"Why did he... ? "_

Sesshomaru knelt in front of the strange mortal and peered into her eyes, searching for a sign, some reason why he was not allowed to kill her.

"I...don't understand..." Jennifer managed to say through her pain , "Is it because I set you free that you can't kill me ? "

The demon scoffed in contempt , "I, not able to kill a lowly mortal? Ridiculous." He stood and looked away.

"Lord Sesshomaru , " spoke the weakening human , "May I be so bold as to ask you a question ? "

This got his attention. How did the human know him? He looked down upon the worthless child.

She continued , "If you could've killed me, then why didn't you ? "

Her vision had become blurry, yet Jennifer hung on to life if only to hear his answer.

Sesshomaru's face was emotionless and as hard as the stone he was set free from. He replied coldly , "You are not worth the bloodshed."

Sesshomaru maintained his icy stare. There was something he still didn't understand. Jennifer tried her hardest to focus on his face and his cool yellow eyes, but found it extremely difficult. She keep biting her lip to cancel the pain long enough to see those piercing eyes.

Sesshomaru noticed the girl's failings, and wanted to be on his way before she made some brilliant death scene, but some faint glint in her had caught his eye. As if discovering something, Sesshomaru's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed.

Jennifer blushed at his long stare, and turned her head aside. Determined to stand, she let her left arm hang limp, as she used her blood-drenched right hand to push herself shakily to her feet. She gathered the courage to look into the demon's eyes, but only saw emptiness.

What did he see? Was this even happening? Was she really in Warring States Era? It was all so overwhelming. And here she was, staring straight into the eyes of the devil himself; surely she was going to die.

Sesshomaru grunted and finally looked away. He took a small jump into the air and began to levitate higher and higher, turning away from the girl forever.

"Wait ! " Jennifer screamed. She threw her right arm into the air, grasping for what she could not reach. Seconds later, he was gone, yet the injured girl's eyes lingered in the skies. Her shoulder was still bleeding profusely, and she'd soon have to find somebody or she'd faint from loss of blood, not to mention the giant hole in her shoulder.

Quickly trudging through the dark woods, Jennifer thought of nothing else except to find a village, any village, or any person who could save her. She did not want to die in this foreign land, by the hand of a person who should not have existed, but did.

But inevitably Jennifer's eyes became heavy, and her body became numb. Without notice to its mindless owner, Jennifer's body fell from under her. She collapsed onto the hard, damp ground, hitting her head on a conveniently placed boulder, and knocking herself unconscious.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Questions? Comments? C'mon people that's what reviewing is for!**

**Also thanks to my first few reviewers. I was going to wait for more reviews, but I decided that if I go ahead put up the first chapter because it has a deeper in look to my story than the Prologue alone. Hope you liked it!**

**REVISED ON FEBRUARY SIXTH, 2005**


	3. Chapter 2

**UPDATED AS OF: May 29, 2005**

**Strange Interlude**

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: Uggh! Me no own InuYasha. Uggh! Me do own me OCs, Jennifer and Kenji. Uggh! Now you read! ……uggh!**

A slight breeze was blowing. The sun shone brightly, and the long green grass felt good between Jennifer's toes. Crisp mountain air caressed her lungs as she lay peacefully in the grass. She was so at ease, so genuinely happy lying there.Jennifer wished that it would never end.

Sesshomaru approached the lying girl, slowly walking, step by step, toward her. A twig broke beneath his shoe, startling a flock of birds. They flew high into the sun. Jennifer sat up and turned toward him. Sesshomaru watched as the fluttery birds flew away. He turned to look at her. A white feather drifted down from the sky and landed next to Jennifer's hand. Sesshomaru knelt and picked up the feather. He looked up to find himself unusually close to the girl. Their eyes locked. He leaned forward, closed his eyes, and kissed her.

Jennifer awoke suddenly. It was only a dream. A dream she rather not have left. But why was Sesshomaru in it? What did it mean? And what had happened to her since night?

Jennifer sat up and looked around, finding herself inside a hut. An open window told her it was day, but which day she had no idea. Whether she had been unconscious for a day, a week, or a month, she had no idea. Jennifer continued to look around the room. Her grey baby tee and blue denim shorts were folded neatly next to the wall. This discovery caused Jennifer to look down at herself. She was wearing a simple white robe. Her first thoughts were not 'Where am I?' or 'Who brought me here?' but, 'Ah! Someone undressed me!'

The door of the room slid open. Jennifer fearfully grabbed the sheets and covered herself. A young man nervously poked his head into the room and clearing his throat, stepped through.

"I guess you're awake now." he said in a deep voice.

He sat down by the door, unimposing. He was far away enough from Jennifer that she felt unafraid. Jennifer didn't know whether this man was friend or foe, rescuer or captor, and so she had no idea how to react. Jennifer looked him over. When hehad been standing,he appeared just a bit taller than him. The young man had brown eyes and really dark brown hair. He looked sort of familiar, although Jennifer couldn't pinpoint from where.

"Were you the one who saved me?" she asked.

"Yes, you were lying unconscious in the Forest of InuYasha. You were hurt pretty badly…"

"Oh yeah…" Jennifer remembered, then looking down, continued, "…my shoulder…"

Jenniferput her hand to the bandaged wound on her shoulder. It stung as she touched it. What exactly happened to hurt her so? Surely that whole ordeal with Sesshomaru didn't really happen. But it seemed she was in the Feudal Era. Was it true then?

"You lost a lot of blood. You probably would've died if I hadn't found you." The reserved young man commented.

"What happened?" Jennifer asked, a look of pleading in her brown eyes.

"When I had found you, I thought a demon had killed you. You were still breathing, so I tried to wake you. When I saw the large hole in your shoulder, I didn't know what to do. I didn't have any herbal medicine on me to deal with immediate treatment. I didn't want to wrap it up without putting something on it, so I…well…you had that jewel around your neck…"

Jennifer suddenly remembered the necklace, and put her hand to where the ring usually lay. Her neck was bare.

The man continued: "It looked like a mineral I have seen the priest use before...so I…"

"What happened to my ring!"

Jennifer sounded harsher than she had intended. She couldn't help it; she was worried.

"_Oh no! If I don't have that ring, then I can't get back!"_

Her 'rescuer' looked ashamed. He couldn't look her in the eyes. Had he done what Jennifer feared? The adolescent could not make the words come out of his mouth. He pointed at her bandaged shoulder and looked away. Her shoulder flared a barely visible pink aura. She looked up, her brows furrowed with horror, at the man who had supposedly rescued her.

"It's…it's inside my shoulder?" she demanded.

He nodded and looked out the window. "It stopped bleeding and the flesh returned. I'm sorry if it's causing you pain."

"No, no…that's not it," she sighed, "it's okay."

Inside, however, she was mortified.

"_I can't believe I'm even here. So much has happened. Sesshomaru, this boy, the jewel, what am I supposed to do?"_

Jennifer stood up. She walked with a wobble to the open window. Outside the sun was shining, and there were small children playing in the street. She turned and looked at the kneeling man in blue.

"Where am I? Is this the village of the Priestess Kaede?" she asked.

"Kaede?" he asked, "Who's that?"

Jennifer sank to her feet and her eyes wellled with tears. _"So I'm not in InuYasha's village…I'm so lost."_

The man stood and approached her. He lent her his hand. She looked up at him, ashamed of her tears. She hesitated but took his hand, and he helped her up.

His face was kind and gentle as he gazed into her eyes. Jennifer saw the depths of these marvelous brown eyes and was instantly reminded of her dream of Sesshomaru. She blushed and looked away.

A look of concern came over him. "What's wrong?" he asked, "Are you okay?"

She bit her lip,"_I'm not going to cry…I'm not…"_

Jennifer broke down in his arms.

"I'm so scared! This wasn't supposed to happen! I don't know where I am! I don't know anybody here! I wish I was home!" she sobbed.

The both of them sank to their knees. He did his best to cheer her up, wrapping his arms around her and wiping the tears from her face.

"Well maybe I can help. My name is Kitaoji Kenji. Now you know someone." He hugged her, "And you're not lost, and you never will be again…"

"_Kenji…"_ she thought. _"This man who has rescued me, the man who has taken care of me. Maybe I can trust him…"_

She nuzzled her head into his broad shoulders and cried herself to sleep.

Jennifer awoke to the smell of bacon.

"_Bacon?" she thought._

Jennifer opened her eyes to find herself in the same room, in the same bed,assumedly untouched. Her stomach growled in envy of the smell. She weakly stood up, and found her way to the door. She slid it open and stepped out on the patio. Down the steps of the patio and several feet away sat Kenji, who was tending a fire while grilling a side of pork. He was whistling some tune she had never heard before and did not notice her presence. She had no sandals, and did not see her shoes anywhere, so Jennifer stepped outside with her socks.

Kenji didn't see her approach him. He checked the meat, sighed, and lay down on his back with his hands behind his head, staring at the darkening sky.Jennifer's stomach growled rather loudly, and Kenji tilted his head back to see who it was there. He saw Jennifer, smiled and sat up so he could see her right side up.

He smiled, "I guess you're hungry. You were sleeping for a while; it's almost sunset."

Jennifer nodded. Kenji turned back to the fire and checked the meat. He licked his fingers.

"Good, it's done."

The meal was wonderful. It had been almost a full day since Jennifer had eaten anything, and she didn't care that she ate like a pig. Kenji stared at her the way she ate, but then smiled to himself and continued to calmly eat his pork and rice.

* * *

After dinner the two of them sat in the main room around a warm fire. The thin wisps of smoke flowed gracefully, rising into the heavens in intricate patterns through the hole in the roof. Jennifer pulled tighter on the blanket that was around her.

"Are you cold?" Kenji asked across from her.

"No, no," she said, "I'm okay."

Despite what Jennifer had said, Kenji crawled over to her and put his own blanket around her.

"Um…thank you," she nodded. Jennifer had never had this much overt flirtation shown her. "You've been really nice to me. Thank youfor all that you've done."

The two sat in silence for only a moment, when Kenji got up the courage to ask: "So you'll probably leave soon?"

He asked as calm as he could while dreading her answer. How can this wonderful, beautiful girl he had just met, just walk out of his life? He had to ask. But something she had said, troubled him. Does she not have a place to return to?

Jennifer opened her mouth to answer. She had no plan in mind when she jumped into the well. And now that she was here, what could she do? It was stupid of her to think she could just cross over, find the InuYasha-gumi and just "join their party". She was eight-fucking-teen; she was too old to be daydreaming like this!

Jennifer hated to beat herself up, but it was true. She was going to Wash U. this August…and what if she never got back? Her future, her whole life was gone!

If by some miracle Jennifer did find InuYasha, she knew she would be worthless to him and his group. What could she do? She was stuck in a world she knew only through comics, in a place that she had only dreamed actually existed. She was in the house of a strange, yet kind young man and what could she possibly tell him about herself and situation? He had been so polite, so kind. Jennifer knew he would be eager to help, but what could he actually do for her?

Since her arrival, Kenji never questioned her as to where she was from or why she was where she was when he found her. Jennifer expected he would ask eventually, but what could she tell him? He couldn't possibly understand that she came from the future and lived across the ocean in "America." Or could he? What did Kagome do when she was in this situation?

It was then that Jennifer realized Kenji was still waiting for an answer.

"I live very far away and I don't think I can go back."

She looked at her feet folded beneath the bright kimono Kenji had made her wear.

Inner Kenji: YESSSS!

Kenji, "Oh…do you know anyone nearby that you can stay with?"

More dread.

"…no…" Jennifer replied meekly.

Inner Kenji: OH YEAAH!

"Actually…" she said.

Inner Kenji: Uh-oh.

"I was wondering if I could stay here with you…"_ "At least for a little while,"_ she added in her thoughts.

Kenji smiled. "That's perfectly fine."

Their eyes connected, and she smiled, "Thanks."

"_Oh what a smile…"_

They sat there for a minute or so until Jennifer could no longer stand the silence.

She stood, "I think I'll go to bed now."

And she left the room.

"Goodnight," Jennifer said while sliding the door shut.

"Goodnight," he whispered after her.

Jennifer walked out onto the patio and into the room with her American belongings. The window was open and the full yellow moon shone through. She lay down on her mat and quickly passed into the world of sleep.

* * *


	4. Chapter 3

Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha.  
  
Several weeks passed in Kenji's village. Jennifer had decided to stay and live with Kenji in his big house although she really wanted to go home. Meanwhile she helped care for his pigs and tend the vegetable garden.  
  
She was quite a celebrity in the small village. They called her the foreign girl for indeed she was foreign. There was plenty of talk but Jennifer didn't mind the gossip.  
  
"They say Kenji found her in the Forest of InuYasha. Is she a demon?"  
  
"No, I don't think so. She says she comes from the ocean to the east."  
  
"The ocean to the east? But that's impossible!"  
  
For the most part the villagers didn't think of her as a demon. She was too kind to them. However, the villagers thought her quite strange when she tried to ask the villagers about a monk with a hole in his hand or a demon in a white baboon skin. They had no idea what she was talking about. They simply smiled and nodded. They didn't mind the few faults she had, even if one of them was that she wore those strange clothes.  
  
Kenji often tried to fix the "problem" by buying her different robes and kimonos to wear.  
  
"Here," he offered, handing her two folded bundles. "Try these robes on."  
  
Jennifer sighed, "Kenji, you know I like wearing my own clothes." She handed them back to him. "At least when they're clean..." she muttered.  
  
That was another thing about Jennifer that slightly annoyed Kenji: her incessant need of clean things. Not just clothes but herself, her sheets, and she even pressed that Kenji needed to bathe as well. He endured her strange quirk for being with her made him happy.  
  
Nunnh...the other villagers are watching. Today I need to press that she wears these.  
  
"What about my image?" He asked rather suddenly. "How does it look on me when you wear those foreign clothes? The villagers stare at you and I lose face because they think that I allow you to."  
  
"They stare at me?!"  
  
She looked down at what she considered normal: a small gray, form- fitting t-shirt and her favorite pair of blue "hootchie shorts" (short shorts).  
  
Oh...maybe that's why...  
  
She was broken from her thought. Something had occurred to her.  
  
"Wait a second! You lose face?! Kenji, I've told at least a dozen times. We are not married! You don't have to act like my protector!"  
  
Kenji had turned his head away. He had been hurt. Her words shouldn't have hurt. They weren't married, but they did.  
  
Jennifer saw this and her fit of rage instantly melted. She grabbed Kenji by the hand and looked him in the eyes.  
  
"These past couple of weeks you have been extremely kind to me. You are like an older brother to me. I'm sorry, nothing more..."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Oh no. Did I hurt his feelings?  
  
His sad expression turned to that of feigned could-care-less-ness.  
  
"Don't worry about it," he flashed a cheesy smile, "little sister."  
  
Just then a villager approached with a young lady in tow.  
  
"Hey Kenji!" He looked at their still clasped hands. "Oh. Am I disturbing anything?"  
  
Kenji and Jennifer both looked down and yanked their hands away.  
  
"No," Kenji responded. "We aren't together,"  
  
Jennifer was shocked at his straightforwardness. Apparently so was his friend.  
  
"Oh...Ok. Well, I wanted to introduce you to my cousin, Nekkuresu."  
  
The girl called Nekkuresu greeted them. She was thin and very beautiful. She had long black hair that she had pulled back into a bun, leaving the excess to hang off her neck.  
  
The other villager continued, "She's visiting from a neighboring village and will be staying with me for the next couple of days. I have some errands to run and I don't want to bore so, Kenji, if you don't mind, could you show her around the village? You guys would become great friends."  
  
Nekkuresu blushed slightly. Kenji took the opportunity to grab her hand and in a nervous voice, "Of course. Such a young and beautiful maiden, I would be honored to show her around and keep her company."  
  
Jennifer picked up a nearby slop bucket and slapped Kenji's head with it. She angrily stomped away still tightly grasping the bucket.  
  
"I thought you two weren't together," the villager spoke.  
  
Kenji rubbed his head in pain, "Yeah, so did I."  
  
***  
  
Later that day Kenji arrived home to find dinner already made and Jennifer wearing a yellow and red floral kimono.  
  
"Oh...you're wearing the clothes I got you..."  
  
Jennifer looked away, her nose in the air, "My other clothes were dirty."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Jennifer poured him some soup. He began to eat.  
  
"So, did you give 'what's-her-face' a tour of the village?"  
  
"'What's-her-face'? Oh, you mean Nekkuresu? No, I told her I had other things to do."  
  
"Oh."  
  
They ate in silence.  
  
Just then, an elder villager climbed up Kenji's porch and threw open the door.  
  
"Something's wrong in the village in the valley! Can't you hear the alarms? A demon must be attacking!"  
  
Kenji jumped up, "Does anyone know what it is?"  
  
Another villager came running up, "Word just came! Mistress Centipede is attacking and the messenger says that InuYasha has been revived!"  
  
"Jennifer and Kenji both spoke at once, "InuYasha!?"  
  
Everyone was surprised that the Foreign Girl knew what they were talking about.  
  
"But how?" Kenji asked.  
  
"The guy I talked to wasn't so sure himself. He said something about a girl in strange clothes, but hell if I know what that means..."  
  
They continued to talk.  
  
No wonder no one knew what I was talking about. It hasn't happened yet!  
  
There was a big explosion outside. Kenji, Jennifer, and the other villagers all ran outside and stared into the valley below them. It was pretty far off in the distance, but the gentle downward slope of the land showed them what was going on in the forest. Dirt and smoke were already dispersing. Jennifer strained her eyes looking for the demon in the red coat she knew had to be there.  
  
But of course she saw nothing. For a minute or two there was silence. By now the entire village was out of their houses.  
  
"Is it over?" "What happened?" "Didn't they say a strange girl was responsible?"  
  
The silent murmurings of the villagers were silenced when suddenly they heard someone's voice echoing through the valley.  
  
"SIT BOY!"  
  
Jennifer couldn't help but laugh. She knew what had happened. "Now it has started."  
  
A spear came to her throat. Jennifer stopped in mid-laugh. An angry villager stood behind her holding his spear very close to her throat.  
  
"What's started? Do you know? The messenger from that village said that strange girl who did it arrived less than a day before Mistress Centipede's attack. Are you in league with those demons? You want to lead that hanyou, InuYasha, to us!"  
  
Gasps arose from the crowd.  
  
"Well!" The villager demeaned squeezing the spear against her neck.  
  
"I don't know. I-"  
  
"Admit it! You are in league with the demons!"  
  
"No!" she pleaded.  
  
Kenji stepped in, "Wait a minute! What proof do you have that she helped release InuYasha?"  
  
"Look at her!" a villager from the crowd spoke up, "She's different from us. She wears those strange clothes. She appeared out of nowhere, and then this happens! She has to be a demon!"  
  
Kenji tried again, "Demons attack all the time! You can't blame it on her!"  
  
Quite suddenly her shoulder, where it had been injured, began to glow. The jewel shard inside her was reacting to the recent emergence of the full Shikon no Tama.  
  
"Look!" a villager frantically pointed. "She has the demon glow!"  
  
"She's a demon! Let's burn her!"  
  
The mob had come to a consensus. She was to be burned.  
  
"Kenji! Help me! Tell them!"  
  
"Yeah demon lover, help her. We can burn you too!"  
  
Kenji stared helplessly as the crowd surrounded her and threw her into an abandoned hut, which they quickly lit on fire.  
  
Smoke quickly filled the room. Jennifer was hunkered down on the floor. The fire was spreading all around her.  
  
Jennifer looked around frantically. She saw an axe and crawled to the back door. She began to hack away at the wall, embers falling on her, singeing her robes and hair.  
  
She took in a deep breath, inhaled smoke, and coughed forcefully. She could hardly breathe and her attempt to free herself barely made a scratch in the strong wooden door.  
  
Jennifer, defeated, huddled near the door in fetal position, axe still in hand.  
  
She coughed and gasped thinking that her life was about to end...again.  
  
~!@#$^&*())_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_  
  
A/N: There! How's that for a new way to end my chapters? It looks kind of weird...I know...  
  
Oh well!  
  
Thanks as always to my reviewers, though few they are: Kessie, FranceGamble, Gaeamaker13, Divine-Heart  
  
The thoughts are all screwy... Can you even see them? Can you tell which are thoughts? Do you care?  
  
The thoughts used to be in italics but they didn't appear when I uploaded the chapter...Then I tried to mark thoughts, but those not surrounded by other dialogue became invisible as well...What do you all think is best to mark thoughts? Bold them? {Bracket them?} [Matricise them?] |Absolute value them?| *Asterisk them?* No punctuation at all?  
  
Tell me what you think in the review.  
  
Until next time! 


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer (overly excited): Hey guys, guess what!  
  
Audience: What?!  
  
Disclaimer (taunting): You'll never guess!  
  
Audience: Tell us!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.  
  
Audience: Oh...  
  
Disclaimer: Hee...hee...  
  
Now on to...  
  
Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter 4  
  
A dark figure snuck around the burning building. The mob of angry villagers was still at the front, determined to see the demon girl burn. No one saw Kenji slip away from the group.  
  
He crept in the shadow and smoke of the fire and with a strong kick opened the flaming doors.  
  
Jennifer lay there, helpless, unconscious on the ground, a burning piece of wood on her leg. He moved the log and dragged her limp body out of the fiery hole.  
  
Several days later.  
  
Two villagers with hoes on their backs passed Kenji's house.  
  
"Poor Kenji," one of them said. "He's been locked up in his house since the fire. His heart must be broken."  
  
"Oh well, what is done is done. The foreign demon girl cannot hurt us anymore..."  
  
They begin to walk away from the hut to the fields.  
  
"Hey, did you see that midday meteor shower the other day?"  
  
"Yes. It was very strange. The stars were pink, were they not?"  
  
"Yes, I believe so..."  
  
***  
  
Jennifer awoke to find herself in Kenji's room lying on a mat with a bag of cool water resting on her head. Kenji was at her side. She felt an intense burning sensation on her leg. Her eyes came in and out of focus. The smell of smoke was no longer in her nose.  
  
{How long was I out? I swear if I keep falling unconscious like that I'm going to experience brain damage or something.}  
  
Something touched the burn on her leg and she sat up while yelping in pain.  
  
"Shh! Be still!" Kenji cautioned, "No one knows you are here."  
  
"What happened Kenji? I remember being tossed into that burning hut, but then-AH!" She had discovered the burns on her back and arms.  
  
"Shh!" he said again, putting his finger to her lips. "You need to leave here. The villagers all think you perished in the fire. You cannot stay here if you wish to remain alive."  
  
Jennifer could see the obvious pain in his eyes. She nodded.  
  
"Not yet. I understand what'll happen, but if you would please allow me to stay just a few more days to recover and--"  
  
"Of course," he smiled.  
  
He couldn't stand it. It hurt him too much. She had just come into his life when she had to leave. He would allow Jennifer to stay as long as was safe and necessary. He wanted to hold on to her as long as possible.  
  
Kenji turned his head away, as did Jennifer.  
  
She lay back down and for some reason thought of Sesshomaru. {Where is he right now? And what am I going to do now that I have nowhere to go?}  
  
***  
  
In the dead of night a great carriage flew across the sky against the full moon. The carriage creaked noisily in the wind. The curtain blew aside to reveal a lady with pink eye makeup and a multi-layered gown sitting inside. The woman's hands and feet were bound and she had a sad look cast upon her face.  
  
Far below the sky-borne carriage stood a young man in red and a girl in a green and white school uniform. They were walking along in the moonlight when they had heard the movement of the carriage overhead.  
  
The boy panicked and watched in horror as the carriage was ripped from the sky by a giant hand. The three-fingered hand belonged to a monstrously tall demon whose head was so high up in the clouds that the only things visible were its huge red eyes.  
  
The behemoth crushed the carriage and the woman in it as the boy called out to her, calling her 'Mother'.  
  
The woman had lived, but barely. She lay in the demon's hand hardly conscious and called out to her son.  
  
The giant stepped forward revealing a much smaller demon in white standing on the monster's shoulder.  
  
The young man in red called out to this demon with anger, "Is that you, Sesshomaru?"  
  
The demon's long silver hair blew in the wind.  
  
"Indeed," he answered, "I've quite missed you as well, little brother."  
  
"InuYasha," the raven-haired schoolgirl spoke tugging on his sleeve, "he called you his brother. Does that mean-?"  
  
Sesshomaru looked at the human girl. She was of average height and had long, black hair. Strange how she seemed to look almost exactly the same as the one who had set him free from his stone prison only weeks before. But no, that girl was surely dead by now.  
  
"A mortal? How interesting."  
  
"Yeah?" the girl retorted. "What of it?"  
  
Sesshomaru ignored her and spoke instead to InuYasha, "Others would be shame, but with you, little brother, the girl quite suits you. These human creatures...I should think you've had enough of them. Or is it a taste from father?"  
  
Sesshomaru was again reminded of the human girl he could not kill. He hated all humans, revered them as the scum of the planet, yet he couldn't hate that girl. That didn't mean he had any feeling toward her, he just didn't have that strong loathing rise up in his heart when he saw her. When that girl set him free and then begged for her life, as he was about to strike, he felt...nothing. There was nothing.  
  
Sesshomaru was deterred from his thoughts. InuYasha had started talking.  
  
"...You couldn't have come all this way just to tell me that!"  
  
Sesshomaru scoffed, "Be not a fool. I have no such time to waste. The tomb of our father, where must I seek it?"  
  
InuYasha looked confused.  
  
"I got no idea what you're talking about. Besides if I did, there's no way I'd tell you!"  
  
"I see," spoke Sesshomaru. "Then you give me no choice but to let your mother's suffering convince you!"  
  
A bright light emanated from Sesshomaru's right hand, and he whipped the monster whose shoulder he was standing on. The demon tightened its grip on the elaborately clad woman.  
  
InuYasha leapt into the air and slashed at the huge demon's hand with his Iron Reaver attack. The hand and the woman both fell to the ground as the monster screamed and tried to attack them with his remaining hand.  
  
Kagome quickly rushed to the woman whom InuYasha claimed was his mother, and just as the giant demon's hand was to strike them, InuYasha jumped into its way. The monster slammed his hand into the ground, but a white light erupted before it hit, and when the monster moved his hand away the humans and hanyou he would have crushed were gone, replaced by a few smashed lotus petals.  
  
"What a bother." Sesshomaru said.  
  
"Aye milord. And yet it goes so well. Please milord, leave it all to me."  
  
"This scheme of yours is beneath me. Should it fail you will die."  
  
He turned to leave.  
  
"As you will milord."  
  
Sesshomaru moved to the place the Un-Mother had transported them. It was Jaken's plan to use the Un-Mother to get close to InuYasha to extort the information of the whereabouts of heir father's tomb from him.  
  
The Un-Mother placed a spell on the area to make it look like something from InuYasha's childhood. The hanyou and that human were under the illusion that they were in a real place: a serene meadow and pond when in reality they were in a foggy bog.  
  
Sesshomaru watched all this as if it were a performance of some kind. He knew the script and knew what InuYasha was seeing, what imagery the Un- Mother was putting into his head, that might bring him into a false sense of trust, and force him to divulge the location of the tomb. But there was no such luck. InuYasha's mind was more shielded than expected and if the Un-Mother was to prod any farther his mind would be destroyed.  
  
{This is becoming rather annoying.} Sesshomaru thought. {I need to know where the tomb is so I can obtain my birthright, Tetsusaiga, and make myself unopposable.}  
  
Sesshomaru's eyes then widened when he heard InuYasha mutter.  
  
"...Black Pearl...on the right."  
  
"So that's where it is..." Sesshomaru whispered.  
  
The Un-Mother's illusion then began to fade because Kagome had disturbed the pond's reflection, which had projected the spell. InuYasha was pulled from the Un-mother and tossed to the ground.  
  
InuYasha struggled to stand and had only just now taken a breath when Sesshomaru used his demon speed and snatched InuYasha by the throat. His grasp was slack enough to allow trace amounts of oxygen to enter his lungs but still tight enough to cause great discomfort.  
  
"Of all the places for him to hide it. All this time beneath our very own noses, or to be technical, above our very own noses-right above one might say. Father was determined to keep it a secret, which is why he chose here to hide it."  
  
InuYasha gasped for a breath, "What? You're not making sense!"  
  
Kagome watched in horror, as it seemed like InuYasha would die for a second time. His brother's death grip was turning InuYasha's face completely white. Kagome feared that any longer under this treatment InuYasha might faint.  
  
"Well little brother," Sesshomaru said coolly, "since it was obviously alone without your knowledge, how would you like to come with me and find out?"  
  
Sesshomaru raised his other hand and pointed his first two fingers as InuYasha's right eye.  
  
A fury of yellow sparks came erupted from Sesshomaru's fingers. They bore deep into InuYasha's eye. The pupil widened and a small black orb was withdrawn.  
  
{Finally Tetsusaiga will be mine.}  
  
Sesshomaru closed his hand over the black pearl and dropped the breathless InuYasha.  
  
He smiled, "No wonder looking for it beneath ground was useless. 'Seeing yet never seen. Protected yet ever known to its protector.' (He said that...) Our father's tomb hidden inside a black pearl deep within your eye."  
  
Sesshomaru turned around and dropped the pearl on the ground. He took Jaken's Staff of Skulls from him and hit the end of the staff forcefully against the pearl.  
  
The old man on the staff opened its eyes and laughed hysterically. Now the tomb would open.  
  
There appeared a great rip in the air, followed by a swirling black hole. Sesshomaru and Jaken quickly jumped through. Kagome rushed to get InuYasha standing and they too followed through the portal.  
  
In the portal it was day, though hardly. The sky was a dull gray and orange. The ground was vast and barren with no trees as far as the eye could see. There were no forms of life except for the skeleton birds that flocked and flew in the sky. They flew in tight circles and occasionally landed on the huge skeleton of a demon, which could only be Sesshomaru and InuYasha's father, the Great Dog Demon.  
  
Sesshomaru glided through the sky, Jaken trying his hardest to keep up. He grabbed onto Sesshomaru's furry boa and held on the rest of the ride. Sesshomaru felt this and though it greatly annoyed him, he would allow it only because he would soon claim the Tetsusaiga; the sword fabled to kill 100 in a single swoop. He would soon have power over all, so it mattered not what Jaken did.  
  
Same with that human girl he had met. He no longer cared why he couldn't dispose of her. It makes no difference what Basoni had said about the one to free him. He was dead. All that mattered now was claiming the Tetsusaiga and fulfilling his own ambitions. Let InuYasha and that human come later...  
  
~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*(  
  
As you may or may not have guessed thoughts are now denoted by {brackets!} Though this does not give the same effect as italics, I've given up on it. *sigh*  
  
You know, I'm watching Trigun right now. It's an awesome show. I love that Wolfwood...yeah he's pretty sexy...Am I crazy?  
  
Oh yeah! I have another disclaimer.  
  
Disclaimer: Parts of this chapter contained word for word dialogue from the English-dubbed episode: Aristocratic Assassin Sesshomaru and of the episode following it...uh...the name escapes me at the moment...Anyway, hope you weren't too annoyed with it...And I hope I don't get in trouble for it...Hey! I mean I did mention I don't own any of it. Rumiko Takahashi does! (Or whoever owns the episodes...I'm not sure. I'm glad Funimation doesn't.they would've ruined it...)  
  
Anyway...thanks for reading! 


	6. Chapter 5

*  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.  
  
Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter the 5th  
  
Seven days came and went. Kenji secretly hid Jennifer in his home while he pretended to go about his daily life. The villagers often talked of the increased demon spotting since the release of InuYasha and the supposed burning of the demon girl, but Kenji never once questioned if saving her was really the right thing to do. He never once wondered if because he saved her he allowed more demons to come about. Not once. Well, maybe once, but the thought was quickly pushed from his mind. There was no way she could be a demon. She was definitely human. He had almost confirmed it.  
  
The villagers also had mixed feelings about the burning. Some said it protected them the demon attacks while others thought they were wrong to do it. Some wished she was still alive and among them while others thought her very strange and was glad to be rid of her.  
  
Kenji had succeeded in keeping Jennifer's survival a secret. The villagers had no idea that she was still alive and in fact would be among them very soon, leaving the village.  
  
"I'm sending you to my cousin's house, in a village not--" Kenji thought about it for a moment, "...incredibly far from here. He will take care of you until I can move to the village in spring."  
  
Jennifer had little say in the discussion of where she was going. What could she say? The only people she "knew" in this time other than Kenji were Kagome and InuYasha and she had no idea where they were now that the jewel was broken. She had no choice but to agree to go to Kenji's cousin's house.  
  
After the midday meal she left out the back door and headed in the direction Kenji told her: west.  
  
She was wearing a long hood that she held over her face to disguise herself from recognition. She managed to exit the village without any interference.  
  
She walked for a while, unsure of what she really wanted to do. Should she go to Kenji's cousin's village? She could spend the rest of her life there and learn to love the man who rescued her--twice now. Or should she--could she--travel to the well and leave this nightmare?  
  
She approached the first fork Kenji had talked about in his directions. She was supposed to take the road to the right.  
  
She stopped walking. There was a man standing there with his back to her.  
  
Jennifer panicked and ran off road and behind a tree. What if this man was from the village? He would recognize her. But then what? He couldn't hurt her, so why was she running? She did not know.  
  
She peeked out between the trees. The man, dressed in purple, threw down a golden staff. He looked down the right-hand path and seemed to be considering going that way.  
  
{Oh no! He's going the same way I'm going!}  
  
Just then she heard two men walking behind her. She ducked back into the trees. The men passed her, obviously too engrossed in their conversation to notice her.  
  
She looked out again. She saw the two men who had just passed her walking on the path to the left. The strange man in purple still stood there and finally bent over to pick up his stick. He also chose to go left, following behind the two in front.  
  
{Well that was strange...} she thought.  
  
Jennifer took another look around and got back on the road. She peered down the left road and looked hard at the strange staff-wielding man. He looked familiar somehow...  
  
She could hear someone else approaching from behind her so she quickly ran down the right side of the road and continued her journey to Kenji's cousin's village.  
  
The path began to take a sharp incline and the trees were becoming less dense. She reached the top of the hill and was amazed at what she saw. The forest stretched on for miles and miles and she could see several small villages hidden between the trees. She followed the road she was on with her eyes and found the village to where she was headed.  
  
It looked awfully similar to Kenji's village. Then again all the villages looked like Kenji's village. She turned around and looked for Kenji's village.  
  
"Have I come this far already?" She back around and looked at the road in front of her, "I still have long way to go."  
  
She was about to continue on the path when something caught her eye: a huge, looming tree and a small clearing.  
  
"Is that the 1000-year old Sacred Tree?"  
  
If it was, then that meant the Bone-Eater's Well was close. And if the well was nearby that meant she could go home!  
  
Jennifer immediately picked up her things and ran down the road. There was no direct path leading to the well, so she just estimated where she needed to turn. She ran quickly through the trees, the leaves crushing noisily beneath her feet. Right now she didn't care who or what heard her.  
  
And predictably or not, someone did. A wolf demon carrying several small kitsune carcasses caught her scent.  
  
"Ooh...a worthless human I can pick on." He sniffed the air, "And she a jewel shard, Koga will be most pleased with me."  
  
He dropped the carcasses and ran after the scent.  
  
The wolf was not the only demon in the forest. Someone else Jennifer had already met, someone much closer, had also caught the scent.  
  
That particular demon knew she was there, but wanted to avoid her at all costs. He ignored her presence.  
  
***  
  
In a few minutes she was in the clearing. The well was there. She cautiously walked to the well. She was beginning to have second thoughts.  
  
{Do I really want to go back? What are you talking about? Of course you do! But I may never be able to come back! But this isn't where you belong! But I could belong here...with Kenji. Well I want to get back to civilization! But---- Ok I have an idea. How about we try going through the well. So... So if we can't go back we can stay here. Oh...}  
  
Jennifer approached the well and climbed on top of it. She stood up and looked down to the bone-layered bottom.  
  
"Those weren't there before...Oh right...Bone-Eater's Well."  
  
She took a deep breath.  
  
"Well here goes nothing."  
  
She closed her eyes and jumped feet first into the well. A flash of flesh and fur ran to the well. A clawed hand grasped onto Jennifer's arm stopping her before she reached the bottom.  
  
"Gotcha!" he called.  
  
Jennifer opened her eyes and screamed. She began to flail wildly to get free from him but the youkai's grip was too strong.  
  
He reached in his other hand and yanked her out of the well. He threw her over his shoulder and held onto her legs. She was making it very difficult for him, kicking, screaming, and banging her fists against his back.  
  
"Damn it girl, be still!" He began to run.  
  
Only a few seconds has passed when they had stopped again. A hand from nowhere grabbed the wolf youkai's throat. The sudden stop caused Jennifer to crash her head against the wolf's back.  
  
Jennifer could hear gasping and choking but knew not why. She tried to look around the demon's shoulder to see what was going on. She saw someone with long silver hair and a white furry -thing- on his right shoulder.  
  
"Sesshomaru!" she whispered.  
  
The wolf demon tried to speak, "Sessho-ma-raugh!"  
  
Sesshomaru tightened his grip, "You will unhand this human."  
  
"Sure Sesshomaru-sama, whatever you say."  
  
With Sesshomaru still tightly grasping the wolf's neck, they knelt down and the demon dumped the girl onto the ground. She was dumped rather gruffly and landed uncomfortably on her knees. She gazed up at the powerful inu youkai practically squeezing the life out of the other. He was cold and unemotional, like she remembered.  
  
"Ok!" the wolf demon started, "I put her down, can you let me go?"  
  
Sesshomaru pretended to think on it for a moment and then smiled sardonically, "I think not."  
  
He gave one last squeeze and green poison gas came from his hand. The poison began to eat away at his neck, melting the flesh until only the bone remained. Sesshomaru released his grip and the corpse fell to the ground.  
  
The stench of melted flesh reached Jennifer's nose. She gagged on the smell and quickly turned away from the gruesome, mangled body.  
  
Sesshomaru did not look at her.  
  
"Members of the wolf demon tribe will be here soon. Do you want to stick around when they do?"  
  
"Uh, I guess not." She replied.  
  
Sesshomaru turned and started to slowly walk away.  
  
Jennifer got up, "Hey, wait!"  
  
Sesshomaru stopped and turned to face her. His hair blew serenely in the wind. A single green leaf floated past him. His yellow eyes were intense and strangely caring.  
  
"Jaken," he spoke.  
  
Jaken appeared from the forest on the back of a scaly two-headed horse- like demon.  
  
"Yes Lord Sesshomaru?"  
  
The two-headed beast let out a snort followed by a horrible screech when it saw the human. Jaken finally took notice of the human girl sitting on her knees.  
  
"Ucck! What is that doing here?" he pointed.  
  
"Jaken," Sesshomaru spoke, "take her to the mountain."  
  
"But master," pleaded Jaken, "who is she but a mere human?"  
  
"Jaken..." he said in a slightly warning tone.  
  
Jaken panicked, "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru, what ever you say! Please don't hurt me."  
  
Sesshomaru said not a word after that. He simply turned and walked back into the forest.  
  
When Jaken was sure his master was gone he turned to look at the girl.  
  
"I see not why he favors you, but you had better get on before I'm blamed for abandoning you."  
  
"Uh...ok." Jennifer timidly approached the now kneeling demon.  
  
"Quick Human!" snapped Jaken.  
  
Jennifer warily climbed onto the bridled, two-headed beast, and before she could get comfortably situated, the demon leapt into the air.  
  
Jennifer shrieked and tightly grasped the decorative cloth on the creature's back. One of its heads turned to look back at her and sneered. It obviously did not enjoy the fact that a human was riding it.  
  
Jaken snapped his whip at the dissenting head, "Ignore her..."  
  
It grunted and continued through the air.  
  
"Besides," Jaken continued, "Sesshomaru-sama can't get mad at us if the human accidentally fell off. We did try to save her..."  
  
The two heads both uttered a guttural laugh. Jennifer raised her head. She was confused at what Jaken meant. She hasn't fallen...  
  
Just then the beast purposely bumped its hindquarters in attempt to knock Jennifer off. She closed her eyes shut and yelped again. She tenaciously held on to the blanket.  
  
{Please don't let me fall,} she silently prayed.  
  
Jaken and the demon laughed. There were no other attempts on her life but the ride was long and tiring.  
  
{What am I doing? Why did Sesshomaru save me like that? Last time I saw him he tried to kill me...}  
  
***Flashback***  
  
"Don't...Please...Stop!"  
  
The energy from the whip stopped only inches from her face. It was so close that she could feel the heat given off by the weapon. Sesshomaru turned his head and painstakingly evaporated the energy whip.  
  
***Flashback***  
  
{He couldn't kill me before. Is that why he saved me? What was he doing by the well? Uggh! I'm always asking myself questions that I don't know answers to. I can't do anything about it right now. I can only wait until we land.}  
  
After a while of gazing at the passing scenery Jennifer saw a looming mountain range. The two-headed demon descended onto a dusty plateau. The demon landed not so delicately on the stone. Jennifer was jostled pretty badly but maintained her grip. She hit her head on the creature's scaly hide, and when the beast had stopped moving, slid off. She rubbed her head and flexed her fingers.  
  
"Stay here girl," Jaken spat.  
  
He then struck the scaly demon with his whip. The creature rose into the air and they rode off into the sky.  
  
Jennifer stood and peered after Jaken until she could no longer see him. She finally looked around at her surroundings. She stood on a high plateau jutting from the face of an incredibly tall mountain.  
  
With nothing better to do she walked the perimeter of the small area of flatness. Half of it was a cliff that dropped many feet below to the mountain's craggy base and half of the plateau was hard stone that jutted upward.  
  
She turned to face the horizon. She let out her breath in a deep sigh. The sunset was beautiful, so much unlike the day she had had. She turned away from the setting sun towards a cave in the face of the mountain. She had purposely not gone into the cave wanting to first make sure there was not a way down. Having not found an alternate option, Jennifer approached the mouth of the cave and entered its depths. Hopefully she would survive this night.  
  
~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@##$%^&*(  
  
So how was that? What will happen to Jennifer inside the cave? Why did Sesshomaru tell Jaken to drop her off there? Will we EVER get to see/meet InuYasha? Hold on! I promise he'll be there...3 more chapters until we meet up with InuYasha and company (again) so until then please review the chapters with what you liked, what you didn't like, Whatever...  
  
^ ^  
  
\__/  
  
What does that look like to you? A smiley face? Well, I tried. 


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha.  
  
Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter 6  
  
She was shivering. It was cold. Her neck hurt. The floor was damp and hard. She sleeplessly tossed and turned, straining hard to sleep, to turn off her brain, but the situation was hopeless, the above-mentioned things prohibiting this. It seemed she was doomed to never sleep again.  
  
*shiver* {It's so cold.}  
  
Unexpectedly she felt a great uplifting and sudden warmth.  
  
{Mmm...So pleasant. Thank you.}  
  
Sleep came at last.  
  
***  
  
The sun rose but had not yet struck the mouth of the cave. The birds outside chirped the harbinger of morning. This, rather than the sun, woke Jennifer.  
  
Jennifer covered her head with the covers.  
  
{Damn birds...Wait! Covers?}  
  
Jennifer sat up.  
  
Yes, covers. She was on a pillowy mat with sheets and a large wool blanket. There was a faint breeze coming in through the cave's mouth. Jennifer yawned and stretched and looking around her she noticed that, yes, she was in a cave.  
  
This all seemed very strange for since when do you put bedding near the entrance of a cave, and more importantly, why had she not found this bed in last night's search? What happened last night between nightfall and now that got her to where she was? She had no dreams; in fact she didn't even remember when he had fallen asleep. All she remembered from that night was the bitter sensation of cold transformed to warmth.  
  
She took another look around her, this time to the inner of the cave. Small oil lamps lit the way down a small corridor where sat a table and several chairs. The path continued and ended in what resembled a cul-de- sac of five doors.  
  
Jennifer's stomach rumbled and she had to use the restroom. She got up, stretched her legs, and looked for a bathroom. She passed the table and went into the small alcove of five doors.  
  
She went to the door on the far right and opened it. The room was dark. She put her hand on the wall and felt around for a light switch.  
  
{Oh wait...Feudal Era...no electricity. And that means no plumbing either.}  
  
She closed the door.  
  
There were four more rooms; a least one of them had to have food in it.  
  
"Let's see what's behind Door #2."  
  
She pushed open the crude wooden door to reveal a storeroom filled with all kinds of weapons, shields, and armor pieces. Finding no food, she moved on to the third and middle door.  
  
She pushed on the door. It wouldn't budge. It must've been locked. The fourth door.  
  
She walked into the fourth room. A single oil candle was lit giving the room a creepy air. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dimness and she began to walk its depths.  
  
The ceiling gradually grew lower as she walked further into the room. Against a wall was a small bed, maybe three feet in length. Next to the bed was what looked like a flag post.  
  
{Strange,} Jennifer thought.  
  
The walls and ceiling were solid stone. She followed a drop of water along the ceiling until it fell into a knee-deep pool in the corner of the room.  
  
Jennifer had to crouch down now for the ceiling was only four feet tall. For fear of getting claustrophobic she decided to go no further.  
  
"Still no food," she muttered. She looked over at the small pool, "But I guess I can get a drink while I'm here."  
  
She cupped her hands and poured a drink of water into her mouth. The water slid down her parched throat and, for a while, all was happy. She turned to the door and, standing when the ceiling became high enough, exited the room.  
  
The last door. It would seem like the most likely to have food, but, alas, there still was none.  
  
It was another bedroom--kind of. A simple mat lay in the back corner. Like the last room she visited, this one had one lit candle, but from the look of it, it seemed that no one had used the room in a long time.  
  
Completely annoyed, hungry, and still needing to use the restroom Jennifer did the only natural thing and went outside to contemplate on what should be done.  
  
After she relieved herself, he sat on the edge of the rock and let her feet dangle off the side. The sun shone brightly, warming her body. It was a truly wonderful day. The birds were singing a sweet melody and there was a slight breeze that ruffled Jennifer's hair. The morning atmosphere was very pleasant and soothing, but her boredom, indecision, and hopelessness hindered the continuity of her perfect day.  
  
She sighed, got up, and began to walk back to the cave when something caught her eye. A small apple tree found refuge on a moss-covered rock several feet above the cave's mouth.  
  
"Thank God!"  
  
Without delay or second thought, Jennifer scrambled up the mountain's face a few feet to the tree. A great shadow, perhaps from the sun going behind the clouds, covered her. She clasped her hand around a small ripe apple. It was cool to the touch. With a single yank the apple came loose, but so did her foothold. She lost her balance and began to skid down the rock on her knees. Jennifer could feel the flesh on her knees tear. Her body was slowly leaning backward, becoming horizontal, and eventually lost contact with the rock face.  
  
At the exact moment she began to fall, the shadow retreated. The sun shone into her eyes, temporarily blinding her.  
  
An arm suddenly appeared out of nowhere and abruptly scooped her from the air. A small flash of pain ran through her. One of her arms landed on something soft and furry. The other dangled over the saving arm, which securely held onto her torso.  
  
Who caught her? What if it was another wolf demon to take her away? Her fear was rising.  
  
The demon smelt this fear and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Open your eyes, human," he said to her.  
  
Jennifer instantly recognized the manner of speaking, and when she opened her eyes was greeted by Sesshomaru's stolid face. Jennifer was confused on how she should feel: happy to see him or afraid. After all, he was the one who brought her here, practically kidnapping her. What did he want now?  
  
Jennifer was suddenly reminded of the apple she was seeking and found it still tightly grasped in her hand.  
  
By this time Sesshomaru's feet had already touched the ground. He let her down, and she began to dust herself off. She arrived at her lower legs to find that the rock ledge had scratched them up pretty badly. She carefully proceeded to try and remove the worst of the dirt from her legs, but pain shot through her legs when she did. She cringed at the sudden pain.  
  
Sesshomaru flinched as well and looked at the human. Strange, he thought, that for almost a second it seemed as if he, too, felt her pain. He shook his head from the thought.  
  
"Come," he said, "Let us go inside and clean your wounds."  
  
He turned and walked toward the entrance of the cave. Jennifer looked after Sesshomaru and followed him into the cave. The lamps were all on now. She looked around to realize that Sesshomaru was nowhere to be found.  
  
{What happened?} she thought. {He was only a few feet in front of me. How could he have gone off without my knowing?}  
  
Sesshomaru finally emerged from the middle room, back in the corridor. He held bandage wraps and a bottle of pale green medicine. Sesshomaru shot a glance at her, and she sat down on one of the chairs. Sesshomaru approached and kneeled before her. Jennifer's heartbeat sped up.  
  
{Why?} she asked herself, {Why am I acting like a flirty little fan girl?}  
  
Jennifer watched Sesshomaru open the small bottle and dip a finger in the vial. He dabbed the pale lotion on her knees and the worst of her scrapes. The sensation she felt was unlike she had ever experienced before; the pain was instantly relieved, replaced by a cool, relaxing feeling.  
  
His soft fingers continued to caress her wounds. His face remained emotionless, but his eyes occasionally darted back and forth between his work and her face.  
  
{What am I doing?} he asked himself.  
  
He shook his head and retreated his fingers. Sesshomaru wiped them off on a damp cloth and began to unravel the bandage. He started to wrap the thin cloth around the worst part of her shin, but could not get it to go all the way around her keg. This was a two-armed job where he only had one.  
  
Sesshomaru sighed and asked, "Do you mind?"  
  
The question startled Jennifer.  
  
"Uh, no."  
  
She grabbed the cloth bandage and helped Sesshomaru wrap it around her leg. She stuck the roll underneath her leg and Sesshomaru grabbed it only to hand it back to Jennifer so she could wrap the underside. During this her hand touched his. Embarrassed, she quickly pulled her hand away. However, his was unflinching. He impassively looked at her, then tied off the bandage and stood.  
  
Sesshomaru's form towered her own.  
  
"Come. I shall show you to your room."  
  
He turned away and began to walk, his tail-like shawl flowing behind him.  
  
{Ok Jennifer,} she told herself, {stop picturing him in slow motion.}  
  
She stood and ran after him.  
  
They arrived at the alcove of wooden doors. He pushed open the door on the far left. It was the room with the simple pallet and fur rug. She walked farther into the room. She looked around her. The cave ceiling sloped steeply upward.  
  
What she had neglected to notice on her earlier excursion was a hole in the roof of the cavern that let a bright beam of sunshine in. Despite the fact the hole was only the size of a textbook, it added a substantial amount of light to the dim room. Still, her "room" was a letdown.  
  
She sighed, {This is my room?! What am I, a prisoner? Wait. Why am I here in the first place?} She looked at Sesshomaru, {Would he answer if I asked?}  
  
"Sesshomaru-sama," she began, making sure to add the title so as not to offend him, "Why have you so gratefully giving me a place to live?"  
  
Sesshomaru acted as if he did not hear her.  
  
He instead said, "I will bring you food," and then left the room.  
  
At the mention of something to eat, Jennifer's stomach remembered its hunger.  
  
{Wait a second,} she thought, {Didn't I have an apple? Where'd it go?} She looked about her and saw nothing. {I must have left it on the table in the other room.}  
  
She walked to the door. She pushed open the scruffy slab of wood. She entered the main room to find Jaken and Sesshomaru, their backs turned from her, near the mouth of the cave.  
  
They were talking about something but Jennifer didn't really care; she was looking for her apple. She spotted it where she thought it would be-- on the table. The problem was that the two demons stood by it, and she didn't want to disturb them. She decided on a plan to sneak up to the table and just take the apple. If they noticed, too bad; she was hungry.  
  
Jennifer began her mini-quest and slowly approached the table. She soon came close enough to listen in on the demons' conversation.  
  
Jaken, "But master, why must I prepare food for the human?"  
  
Jennifer was only inches from the table and mere feet from Jaken and Sesshomaru. She could only hope that Sesshomaru's super-canine senses did not detect her presence.  
  
Jennifer crouched low and reached out her hand.  
  
Jaken continued, "I don't see why we can't just let the stupid human starve."  
  
Without looking, Jaken snatched the apple off the table and took a huge chomp out of it. Jennifer's heart dropped.  
  
"Jaken," Sesshomaru spoke, "how inconsiderate of you. She wanted that apple."  
  
Sesshomaru turned to look at Jennifer, her arm still outstretched. Jaken also turned to face the human.  
  
He smirked, "Oh did you?" He took another bite from the apple, "Pathetic Human," he muttered.  
  
Jennifer could feel the rage building inside her.  
  
"Go on," said a voice, "hit him."  
  
It was Sesshomaru. But it seemed that the voice sounded through her mind rather than aloud. She stood, snatched the Staff of Skulls from Jaken's hand, and began to beat him into the ground.  
  
Sesshomaru's lips broke into a smile and then into a full-blown laugh.  
  
Both Jaken and Jennifer froze and stared at the demon lord. Jaken feared this new wrath that would surely be wrought upon him and, characteristically of Jaken, claimed that his life had been shortened by 100 years or so.  
  
Jennifer just stared. She wasn't sure what to think. But she was still hungry and even the half-eaten apple that had rolled across the cave floor was beginning to look appetizing.  
  
So then they ate. Well, Jennifer ate. Sesshomaru sent a grumbling Jaken to "terrorize" a village. Jennifer didn't approve of the harming of people just to eat, but she didn't really have a choice in the matter.  
  
This brought up her earlier question of why she was there in the first place. Jaken listened intently for it, too, was a question he wanted answered. Sesshomaru still did not respond.  
  
He merely stood in that silent way of his. He wouldn't answer. Jennifer shrugged her shoulders and continued to eat.  
  
When she had finished Sesshomaru approached her, "You wanted to know why."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"Come," he beckoned to her, and then snapped at Jaken, "Jaken, clean out the fire pit."  
  
Jaken, who had heard none of Sesshomaru's hushed comment to Jennifer, mumbled a 'Yes, milord' and went outside.  
  
Jennifer turned back to Sesshomaru. He was already walking away. She was quick to follow him. They went into the hall of five doors and came to a stop at the middle one. Sesshomaru passed his only hand across the door. A faint click was heard and the door opened. He walked through, Jennifer following closely behind him.  
  
The door led to a long hallway. Oil lamps stood on either side of the path, and as Sesshomaru passed each one, they lit. Jennifer observed this and watched Sesshomaru closely. She noticed that Sesshomaru's blinking occurred at the same time the wicks of the candles came alight.  
  
At last the hallway grew in both length and height. The room's walls were covered in elaborately designed tapestries. Yards of rare silk were rolled and stacked against the walls. Next to one wall was a thick mattress for sleeping. Upon it were sheets of brightly colored Western cloth. The room smelled of a light perfume. The smell was quite a difference in fragrance than the dank, almost rotting, stench of the cave. Jennifer's nose welcomed it very much.  
  
Sesshomaru stopped in the middle of the room and whirled around to face her.  
  
He repeated, "You wanted to know why."  
  
Jennifer was a little taken aback by Sesshomaru's non-aggressive manner. He looked off to the side, not connecting eyes with her.  
  
"50 years ago a shrine priestess, who held the Shikon Jewel, pinned my disgusting half-brother to a tree.  
  
"Not long after, a demon by the name of Basoni came to me and demanded payment for the "death" of InuYasha.  
  
"We fought and although I was the stronger of the two of us, I lost."  
  
Jennifer noticed a twitch in Sesshomaru's facial features.  
  
"The punishment was imprisonment: an eternity trapped in stone. It was a curse that could only be broken by a human."  
  
He turned his head and looked directly into he eyes, "You."  
  
A slight blush came over her. She remembered the kiss she gave his stone eye.  
  
Sesshomaru showed no emotion and continued with the tale of Basoni's "death". His story was interesting to an extent but hardly explained why she was being kept.  
  
Sesshomaru seemed to notice her confusion.  
  
"Let me explain. I seek to destroy my brother, for he indirectly cursed me. If it were not for him, the demon and I would not have fought. Thus the curse would never have been placed.  
  
"Also, I seek the Tetsusaiga, the fabled sword crafted from my father's fang. My accursed brother, having also been revived, took the sword, which gives me yet another reason to kill him."  
  
Somewhere during his speech his eyes wandered back to the spot on the wall. They turned to meet her gaze once more.  
  
"This pertains to you in quite a peculiar way. When Basoni spoke of the human who freed me, he said that human would also be helpful in my conquest of the world, should I care for her."  
  
Sesshomaru became lost in thought, {That despicable demon, Basoni. My fate truly is a wretched one if I must care for this human...But I can't help but to think that...}  
  
Jennifer compiled this information and sorted through it, {He needs me to fulfill his own purposes and for no other reason.}  
  
Her heart dropped, though she wasn't exactly sure why.  
  
"So you see," Sesshomaru said, coming out of his thoughts, "you are the key. Somehow you will help me destroy InuYasha."  
  
{Wow,} she thought. {That definitely wasn't what I wanted to hear just now.}  
  
Jennifer stood. Sesshomaru's eyes took notice of the action while the rest of his face remained still. He smirked inwardly.  
  
She half-smiled, "That's very...interesting...I'm tired...I'm going to sleep."  
  
She waited a moment as if waiting for some kind of nod or form of permission for her to leave. When she got none, she made her way to the door.  
  
She stopped to uneasily thank him and continued out of the room, slowly shutting the door behind her. A clicking sound signaled that the door had been locked.  
  
Jennifer crossed the hallway to where her "room" was. She lay her self down on her thin pallet and stared up at the night sky through the small hole in her ceiling. The room smelt very badly compared to Sesshomaru's. Jennifer sighed and longed for home.  
  
***  
  
Sesshomaru sat looking at himself in a mirror.  
  
{What is wrong? A human, kill InuYasha? How so? You can only rely on your own strength.}  
  
Sesshomaru stood and crossed the room to the door.  
  
{Nothing else will bring you to your goal. Your father was a great ruler. If only he had not become soft and fallen for a human...}  
  
Sesshomaru had now entered the main corridor. He hesitantly pushed open the far-left door and looked upon his--I mean--the sleeping human.  
  
{Humans. So pitiful. So much work. Hmp. She wanted to know why...}  
  
He stepped closer to her. Her brow was furrowed; she appeared to be having a nightmare and she was shivering.  
  
Sesshomaru went to a nearby shelf and pulled down a wool blanket. He laid it over her.  
  
{Why...That's what I want to know.}  
  
~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+  
  
Another chapter down! Yay!  
  
Today, August 28th, is a very special day. Today, August 28th, is my Birthday. And not just any birthday: today, August 28th, is my 16th Birthday.  
  
YAY!  
  
It's 12:24 am and I have just finished typing this chapter. I wanted to post it today as a gift to you all. (Ha, kind of funny. It's my birthday, but I'm the one handing out presents...)  
  
Ah, so tired.  
  
Anyway, thanks to all who have faithfully reviewed my story: FranceGamble, Kessie, and Gaeamaker13.  
  
These are the only names my brain can come up with at 12:27 in the morning, so if I've left anyone out, I apologize.  
  
*looks over A/N* Well that looks long enough. As always, thanks for reading, Happy Birthday to me, see you next time, and goodnight.  
  
ZzZzZzZzZzZ. 


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha. Kenji and Jennifer are OCs  
  
Strange Interlude  
  
Ch. 7  
  
Several days passed. Jennifer, having nothing else to do, nowhere else to go, stayed in Sesshomaru's cave. It was weird. The two demons were gone for most of the day so Jennifer had nothing to do on top of nothing She had explored the cave to its fullest and walked the perimeter of the plateau at least 10 times a day, (before she got completely bored).  
  
Sesshomaru usually left food for her in the morning and again in the evening. Some of the time it was the meat of a random demon. It was disgusting but for lack of anything better, she ate it. He never provided for her any fruits or vegetables, which made her very weak from lack of nutrients. Jennifer had decided she led a meaningless existence.  
  
Until on the fifth day of her "captivity", after that evening's meal of some unrecognizable, six-legged, creature, Jennifer mentioned to Sesshomaru that maybe it would be better if she were to shop for her own food. She explained that the demon meat was bad for her HUMAN digestive system and that the lack of green things was making her quite sick. Jaken made some crack about how stupid and whiny humans were, and Jennifer took the liberty of pinching him.  
  
The next day Jennifer awoke from the sun and found Sesshomaru standing in the hallway, by her open door. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and smiled like she did every morning.  
  
Then Sesshomaru would usually turn to leave but today was different.  
  
"Let's go out," he said.  
  
Jennifer blushed slightly. The way he said it surprised her, "What?"  
  
"I'll take you to seek out human food," he supplied.  
  
Jennifer started breathing again and got up. She felt ashamed that she was finally going somewhere, but looked really horrible. She hadn't bathed in days and what bugged her the most was that she couldn't brush her teeth.  
  
She walked out into the warm sun, closely behind Sesshomaru. To her surprise, Jaken obviously against his will, held the reins of the two- headed beast she had "taken" to the cave.  
  
Sesshomaru "fluttered" to the demon and stood on its back. Jennifer jogged over and attempted to climb on. She was having great trouble. Jaken rolled his eyes. Sesshomaru crouched down and held out his right hand. Jennifer took it and he brought her up with ease.  
  
The beast's back was much too wide for her to straddle, so she positioned he legs to sit side-straddle. Sesshomaru took a seat behind her and Jaken snapped the reins. The creature rose and shot off into the distance causing Jennifer to lose her balance and fall backward onto Sesshomaru.  
  
Sesshomaru put a hand on her shoulder to balance her.  
  
"Lay back," he instructed, "You won't fall." He wrapped his arm across her chest and leaned her against his. Jennifer's heartbeat quickened, but his, she noticed, remained calm. She couldn't help but to feel flustered. Her head lay against chest; the soft folds of his kimono countering the gruffness of his armor. And it worked. She didn't lose her balance.  
  
Within no time at all they were flying over a village, and with one swoop and a loud thud the two-headed demon landed in the middle of a busy market. The startled villagers all panicked at the sight and some let out a scream.  
  
Sesshomaru urged her, "Well, go on."  
  
"O-k..." Jennifer spoke uneasily. She stepped off and approached a shop. The villagers scattered in all direction.  
  
"Excuse me, do you---"  
  
"Aah! Help!"  
  
"Excuse me, I'm loo---"  
  
"Sorry, shop is closed!"  
  
"I'm looking to buy food!"  
  
"Demon!!!"  
  
"I'll pay for it!" she screamed at the fleeing village people.  
  
It was no use. The villagers were scared out of their minds. Jennifer took a look around. Where were the braver men of the village? Surely they would've attempted to challenge the "demon".  
  
The market was now empty, except for the occasional pair of peering eyes from behind windows or from alleyways. Jennifer was aware of this but went up to a food stand anyway.  
  
"Excuse me, anyone here? I'd like to buy food."  
  
No answer.  
  
"Why don't you just take what you want?" a stoic Sesshomaru called.  
  
"But that's stealing..." Jennifer spoke quietly. She was slightly agitated. It was Sesshomaru's fault for scaring away the shopkeepers.  
  
Jaken shouted, "Just get the food, you annoying human! Don't keep Lord Sesshomaru waiting."  
  
"But---" she began.  
  
Jaken interrupted, "Get along with it, wench!"  
  
Jennifer only hesitated a moment, then grabbed some rice, two heads of cabbage, and some other vegetables. She dug into her pocket and placed some of the money she exchanged for the trip onto the table. She didn't care that the people in feudal Japan didn't use the same currency as present-day Japan, she just felt bad about taking the food without paying.  
  
She stopped at another little shop and took some of the homemade silk clothing that was on display. She had no money left, so she apologized to the invisible shopkeeper and climbed back onto the demon beast. She moved to sit behind Sesshomaru this time and as soon as she was seated, they took off again.  
  
A minute after they had left, the villagers came out of their hiding places and gathered around the food shop.  
  
One of the villagers picked up the paper and examined it in the light.  
  
"What matter of currency is this?" he asked.  
  
A village shrugged his shoulders, "Demon?"  
  
"Don't touch it!" another warned, "It may be cursed."  
  
"Darn those demons, they tool our finest clothing too!  
  
*  
  
~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^%&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_  
  
A/N: There it is. Probably the shortest chapter you'll ever see of Strange Interlude. It's not that good either, but I wanted to plug in at least one more chapter before France has to leave.  
  
Yes! ::Tear:: Sadly FranceGamble, a very well known author of fanfiction, is leaving and will not be able to go on to ff.net for a long while (from what I understand anyway). So FranceGamble, this chapter is dedicated to you!  
  
*brief applause*  
  
Not much of a dedication, since it's not much of a chapter, but...  
  
Thanks France for praising me and helping me! This is my third time saying this, "I'll miss you!"  
  
~Trinity-33  
  
*  
  
REVIEW!  
  
*  
  
Thanks!  
  
* 


	9. Chapter 8a

Disclaimer: InuYasha, I do not own.  
  
Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter 8  
  
*  
  
Jennifer woke with the new day. The air was fresh and the cave was unusually comfortable. She got up and did her routine walk around the place. She was not surprised to find Sesshomaru not there. He often never was.  
  
What exactly does he do all day, she wondered. She was sure she would never find out and spent the rest of that day contemplating life and her situation in the Feudal Times. She sighed. It was so very boring all by herself; all she did was think.  
  
Since the marketplace excursion Sesshomaru was not as rude to Jennifer, which made no sense at all. She felt her opinion of him changing as well. Every time they brushed against each other, Jennifer blushed and scurried away. But then she would remember why Sesshomaru was "keeping" her and would then silently fume at him. It was a very confusing time.  
  
Sesshomaru also had his share of pondering the human girl. She served no real purpose to him. She was bothersome to have to take care of, and he thought she complained too much. Sesshomaru thought it would be best to rid himself of her, but could never find the chance or drive to do so.  
  
Several nights later Sesshomaru returned to the cave and approached Jennifer.  
  
"I have a plan," he said in the most unemotional way possible.  
  
"What?" replied a startled Jennifer. (A longhaired demon wearing a furry loogie jumping out of nowhere could startle anyone.)  
  
"I have a way to destroy InuYasha," he said, looking down upon her. He seemed, to Jennifer, like a scolding parent. He held disdain in his eyes.  
  
Jennifer said nothing. He seemed different somehow, but she couldn't quite tell what it was.  
  
Sesshomaru told her about his first attempt at InuYasha involving the Un-Mother and the tomb of his father. Jennifer understood what he was talking about. She played the episode in her head as he briefly told of that night's events.  
  
When he had finished, he ordered Jennifer to stay where she was, and in a blur of white was gone from the cave.  
  
{He recently must have met Naraku. That must be why he seems so eager to kill InuYasha.}  
  
Jennifer felt a massive vibration and went outside to find out what it was. In a few seconds time she saw a huge black demon appear through the clouds. She couldn't tell how high the creature stood, only that there were two, large, red eyes shining through the dark clouds.  
  
With a great growl, it lowered a huge three-clawed hand level to the small plateau. On the hand stood Sesshomaru, arms folded. He looked strange to her. He was smiling.  
  
{Well,} she thought, {It's more of a smirk than a smile but still...}  
  
She stepped forward. Sesshomaru beckoned her even closer, so she approached him and the demon slowly. Something was definitely off.  
  
When she became close enough, Sesshomaru extended his left arm to her. It was a pallid gray and had dirty, rounded fingers and nails.  
  
Jennifer only needed to look at it for a moment to find out that it was the human arm attached by Naraku's jewel shard. That meant that he had met Naraku and that they were going to see InuYasha.  
  
Now fully aware of what was going on, Jennifer accepted the now two- armed demon's hand. An almost electric tingle traveled up her arm to her left shoulder, (where her jewel shard was). It pained only for a second. Jennifer saw Sesshomaru cringe and concluded that he must have felt the same prick because he shuddered.  
  
The awkward shock quickly passed and Sesshomaru helped her onto the large demon's hand. It immediately began to rise, stopping when it reached the shoulder. Jaken and his staff were waiting for them at the top. Sesshomaru stepped off the hand, and onto the demon's scaly shoulders. Jennifer followed.  
  
The creature set into motion.  
  
"Uh...wait!" Jennifer spoke, "Why am I coming?"  
  
Sesshomaru tried to look annoyed.  
  
"Let us say you are my good luck charm."  
  
{Hey!} Jennifer thought, {That's all I am to him? A good luck charm? I might as well jump off right here and now so I won't have to put up with this bull.}  
  
She looked around to find that they were already speedily moving, the ground at least 100 feet below them.  
  
{Uh...never mind}  
  
***  
  
The ride was long and tiring and Jennifer was strongly considering going to sleep. The constant stomping and growling of their ride, however, was preventing this.  
  
{This is going to be a long night} she thought.  
  
A while later Jennifer noticed that the loud thumping had stopped. She looked expectantly around her. It was the dead of night, so vision was incredibly limited. It would have been pitch-black if it were not for the moonlight and the few lanterns visible from a nearby village.  
  
"What's going on?" she whispered.  
  
"You are getting off." Sesshomaru commanded.  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"The upcoming battle will be violent... You will stay here."  
  
Jennifer had to take in the words slowly. {Is that Sesshomaru-talk for: 'I care for your safety'?}  
  
Jaken then voiced her thoughts, although he had a different sentiment behind them, "But sire! She is a human. Why do you care if she gets injured? Why do you wish to protect her?"  
  
Sesshomaru's voice grew angrier, "Protect her? No. I just don't want her to get in my way!"  
  
Jennifer couldn't see a thing but could sort of sense that Sesshomaru looked down at her when he had said that last sentence, and though it secretly hurt her on the inside, she brushed it off and didn't reveal any emotion.  
  
{So that thing he did at the market wasn't real.} She told herself. {That's right, I'm nothing more than a lucky charm.}  
  
"Alright," she said aloud, standing up as she did.  
  
Without an order their carrier demon raised a gnarled three-fingered hand to act as Jennifer's elevator to the ground below. Without another word to Sesshomaru, Jennifer stepped on to the creature's hand. It began to descend, and Jennifer had to maintain her balance or risk falling the rest of the way.  
  
When it finally came near the surface it let her off on a small hill that dipped into a large valley. She looked along the hill in the direction of the village she had seen earlier. It was almost a direct path to there, so she thought that if she were left behind she could have some place to go.  
  
Jennifer shook her head. They wouldn't leave her behind. Would they? She decided it best not to think about it and looked up to notice Jaken whipping the carrier demon, ordering it to move forward. Through the dim light, Jennifer watched Sesshomaru turn and sit cross-legged on the demon. He never looked back.  
  
{That sucks! I don't even get to meet InuYasha and them after all. That Sesshomaru sure is strange sometimes. I don't get him.}  
  
She continued to watch the horrible monster stomp the living daylights out of the little buildings outside the village.  
  
{He must be trying to flush out InuYasha and his gumi. That's why he's not directly attacking the village,} she thought.  
  
Jennifer could hear people shouting and alarms wailing. She squinted as a faraway screen door opened and four people jumped out.  
  
{It's a good thing I'm on an incline. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to see a thing.}  
  
There stood a person in red, a really short person next to another person, and the fourth person was holding...something...a cane...no...a staff?  
  
"This REALLY sucks!" Jennifer screamed, throwing her head back.  
  
She took off into their direction, "Forget Sesshomaru! I'm moving closer!"  
  
She ran as fast as she could. Jennifer couldn't believe Sesshomaru would just drop her off so far away from the action.  
  
Oops! Loose rocks! She stumbled and almost fell, but inertia kept her moving so she quickly regained balance. Jennifer then looked out at the impossibly tall demon and the 5 people on the ground.  
  
{Five? There's another person in white. Oh...Sesshomaru.}  
  
Jennifer soon became close enough to hear voices. She immediately slowed and ducked behind some bushes. It seemed really stupid of her to do so because she was sure that she had already been spotted.  
  
She lay silently for several seconds to find out if she had or not but...nothing. Nothing happened. No one rushed over to her and revealed her being there, so did that mean she was unseen?  
  
{I guess they didn't see me.}  
  
She looked up over the bushes. Sesshomaru and InuYasha---  
  
{InuYasha! It's InuYasha!}  
  
Sesshomaru and InuYasha stood facing each other about 20 feet apart, Tetsusaiga in-between them and stuck in the ground.  
  
Jennifer scanned the rest of the 'battle arena'. Almost directly left of her, approximately 50 feet away, crouched Miroku, Kagome, and Shippo. They looked eager---  
  
{Miroku! Kagome! It's them! I'm so close to them. They're actually here. I can't believe it!}  
  
The three looked eagerly at the ensuing battle, obviously unaware of her presence. Jennifer smiled, now greatly appreciating her careless leap through the well. She sat tall, less afraid of her disobedience and contentedly watched the fight play out before her as she had seen it so many times before.  
  
***  
  
The battle was rather uneventful. Jennifer had watched it many a time at home, but there was an added level of interest to this one in that it was actually real. The attacks were real. The forces of impact, the yelps of pain, and the shockwaves emitted were all very real, and this added excitement to this otherwise blasé event.  
  
Jennifer was most amazed at the moment when the Saimyosho attacked. They were unlike anything she could've imagined. They truly were hell insects. Their eyes glittered red in the darkness. Their bodies were shrouded in a black aura that seemed to grow larger with every beat of their humming, screaming, wings. Even Jennifer, being a good thirty feet away from the nearest one, could feel the sheer repugnance given off by the Saimyosho.  
  
They attacked Miroku with such force that the screams forced from him reverberated through her as if she were the one making them. Jennifer found herself grasping on to the nearest rock and breathing very deeply and slowly in unadulterated fear of them. She hoped with all her mind, body, and soul that one would not come near.  
  
Then, at the exact moment she had uttered that phrase in her mind, one of the bees noticed her and fluttered away from the swarm to investigate.  
  
Jennifer did not notice the flying demon until a distinct whirring and whining of wings came past her ear. She turned to head and was greeted by the piercing eyes of a baseball-sized wasp. She used everything within her power not to scream, and scanned her mind for a solution. She then glanced frantically around for something to hit it with. With every second her eyes were averted from the floating youkai, she could feel the looming horror of her predicament.  
  
However, the creature did not attack and simply flew slowly around her, as if studying her. Jennifer quickly seized a good-sized branch and stood. She swung her makeshift bat at the bug, trying very hard to whack it. The Saimyosho managed to dodge all of her attempts and continued to hover around her, its fear-inducing eyes watching her.  
  
It suddenly moved right and Jennifer swung, finally succeeding in hitting it. From the force of the hit, the Saimyosho was flung to the ground. Jennifer swallowed the ever-growing lump in her throat and approached the fallen insect.  
  
The poisonous insect lay motionless in the dirt. And just when Jennifer was ready to presume it dead, it shot back into the air, flying away from her at an unmentionable speed. Jennifer noticed that the bug flew off in a very awkward pattern, and she figured that it had to have been injured.  
  
Satisfied, yet still afraid, Jennifer sat down and tightened her grip on the branch---just in case.  
  
The other battling Saimyosho seemed to have quieted down so Jennifer could again hear what was going on.  
  
InuYasha had Miroku's arm over his shoulder and was helping him get behind the fallen/half-wind-tunnel-ed giant. Shippo followed close behind them.  
  
{Wait a second,} Jennifer thought, {Where's Kagome?}  
  
"We've got company coming!" Shippo shouted.  
  
Jennifer looked in the direction of Shippo's comment. Sure enough, there was Sesshomaru walking toward the front of the monster's strewn body. Sesshomaru turned to where his back was to her.  
  
"He has no hope. This is the end for you." Sesshomaru pulled back to strike with the Tetsusaiga's Wind Scar. A bright aura soon shrouded the blade.  
  
"Die," Sesshomaru whispered, swinging his sword toward his half- brother obliterating their demon shield and spraying chunks of its flesh over their huddled bodies.  
  
***  
  
Kagome saw the blast and worried if the boys were okay. She had left to find an antidote for Miroku's poison and but had no idea where she would find one.  
  
She ran into a village and up to a door. She banged her fist loudly against the wooden frame.  
  
"Hello, anyone in there? My friend's been poisoned! I need help!"  
  
Kagome noticed movement at the window. She glanced over to see a pair of scared eyes peering out. She went to the window and tried to talk to the elderly man.  
  
"Oh, sir! You've got to help me please! My friend is poisoned! Do you have---?"  
  
"No, No, No!" the man shouted.  
  
"But I---!" she began.  
  
"No! Go away!" the man shouted back, flinging his curtain shut.  
  
Kagome sighed and moved to another hut. She got the same response from five different people and was on the verge of giving up.  
  
Her brow expressed that of exhaustion and worry, {Miroku's in trouble if I don't act fast. And these stupid villagers are no help!}  
  
Kagome then spotted the tavern where Miroku, Shippo, InuYasha, and her had been staying when Sesshomaru's monster attacked. She ran inside, tired of being polite and knocking. There were several people, including the old man who owned the tavern, huddled on the ground against a wall. He looked up as she ran by.  
  
"Hey girl," he called, "Where is that monk friend of yours? Has he dispelled the demon? I want my money back!"  
  
Kagome ignored him and ran into their room. Her backpack, bow, and arrows were leaned against the wall.  
  
{I'm sure I have something in my backpack that'll help Miroku,} she thought picking up and slinging on her backpack. She looked at her bow and her quiver of arrows, {I better take these too.}  
  
She picked them up and headed out the back door. She ran down the steps toward Shippo and Miroku, when something caught her eye. It was a hunched over figure with long hair looking out over the battle.  
  
{Is that...Is that a person hiding there?}  
  
Kagome got a little closer. There was a girl about Kagome's age, possibly older, crouched behind the bush. She wore clothing from the age of the warring-states, but did not look the part.  
  
Jennifer was too occupied with the ensuing battle to notice Kagome's approach.  
  
"Hey!" Kagome called to her.  
  
"Huh? What?"  
  
Jennifer turned around, startled that anyone would discover her. She looked at the person who called out to her. She was young and wore a green school uniform. She had medium-length dark hair and a yellow backpack.  
  
{That's Kagome. Where'd she come from?}  
  
"It's dangerous here," Kagome told her, "You would be safer is you hid with the other villagers."  
  
"Uh...right," Jennifer nodded. What else could she say? Besides, how would Kagome react if she told her she was waiting for Sesshomaru?  
  
Kagome turned toward Miroku and the others. InuYasha was holding off Sesshomaru with the Tetsusaiga sheath and Shippo was combating Jaken with his random collection of toys that he used for weapons. Miroku lay on the ground, clinging to his very life.  
  
"Yikes! I need to get over there quick!"  
  
Kagome started to run off but suddenly turned to the strange girl who was still kneeling in the grass.  
  
"You could get hurt so you've got to move NOW!" she shouted.  
  
Jennifer thought it very rude for someone three years younger than her to try and boss her around, but considering her position, Jennifer opted not to go kick Kagome but instead, stood as if she was going to leave.  
  
Without another moment's hesitation, Kagome sprinted off toward her fallen companion. Jennifer stuck a tongue out at the back of Kagome's head and promptly sat back down to watch the rest of the fight.  
  
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A/N: That's Part a of CH. 8. Last I checked this chapter was 5400 words long and I figured you all wouldn't want to read that long of a chapter, so I broke it up into two! Think of it as being rewarded for your patience! Now hurry! Review then click the little button that takes you to Chapter 8 Part b! Go now! Lest you forget what just happened.  
  
* 


	10. Chapter 8b

Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter 8b  
  
*  
  
+++Sesshomaru's POV+++  
  
This battle is pointless, now that I have what I desire.  
  
My foolish brother. Why does he battle when the situation is hopeless? For his arrogance I will destroy him.  
  
I was about to accomplish just that when an arrow struck the Tetsusaiga, transforming back to its worthless state.  
  
It was that human of InuYasha's. She looked like any other mere human, so why was she able to conjure a miko's Sacred Arrow?  
  
Another arrow whizzed by. The fool of a human was actually trying to hit Lord Sesshomaru. She will pay for that.  
  
I was deciding just how to dispose of her when something caught my eye. There was a girl, another human, kneeling some twenty feet behind my target. She looked like that human, Jennifer, that I have.  
  
Upon a closer look, it was determined that it was she. But why did she travel all this way? I suppose her human curiosity got the batter of her. No matter. She will not interfere.  
  
***  
  
After almost having a near-death experience, Kagome had run to help Miroku, Shippo accompanying her.  
  
Jennifer eyes were averted from the bout of brothers to watch Kagome and Shippo's act of friendship. She sighed. Why couldn't she have friends like that? She looked over at Sesshomaru who was quickly dodging InuYasha's lunges for him.  
  
{Some friend he is,} she thought. {I'm practically his prisoner. All the times I ever imagined myself into the Takahashi's Feudal Era I had more of a role than this. This is hopeless...I should've never come down the well...}  
  
Sesshomaru used his light whip to keep InuYasha at bay, but soon InuYasha was able to dodge them. InuYasha was finally able to get himself close enough to attack Sesshomaru with his Iron Reaver, but before even one word could be uttered, InuYasha's demon brother prevented the attack by knocking him to the ground.  
  
Another arrow whizzed by and hit Sesshomaru's shoulder armor, breaking it. Again all eyes wandered in the direction of the arrow and sure enough found Kagome at the bow.  
  
"Kagome!" InuYasha in translation saying, 'I though I told you not to get involved! Now he might attack you again, and I can't let that happen because I really care for you!'  
  
"InuYasha," Sesshomaru warned, "make her stop. Half-demon though you are, the blood of a demon runs in you. Be proud of that. Do not accept human aid, even in death."  
  
Jennifer's eyes widened, {What am I then?} she silently pleaded. {If what he said is truly what he believes then why am I here? That just proves my worthlessness to him. He practically said I have no use so why can't I just go home?}  
  
InuYasha tried to convince Kagome to quit, but Kagome fired her third arrow. Sesshomaru caught this arrow and dissolved it in his hand.  
  
"You had your warning. Now I will put an end to your interference."  
  
Sesshomaru then released what was at that time the Tetsusaiga's ultimate attack upon Kagome.  
  
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" Jennifer mumbled as she tried to scramble away from his attack. InuYasha and Kagome were hit, sending a shockwave at Jennifer, flinging her several feet away.  
  
"Ow," Jennifer muttered grasping her head. She blinked the dirt from her eyes and looked out at the destruction.  
  
InuYasha and Kagome lay on the ground. InuYasha had tried his best to shield Kagome from the blast, but she was knocked unconscious.  
  
+++Jennifer's POV+++  
  
I watched all this as if it were straight from the anime. Sure the dialogue was off in a couple of places and they sounded different, but it was pretty much everything Rumiko Takahashi had created: Kagome falling unconscious, Miroku trying again to use his Wind Tunnel, and InuYasha convincing him to take Kagome instead.  
  
By this time Miroku and Shippo had grabbed Kagome and were quickly escaping.  
  
I turned to Sesshomaru, waiting for him to do something--like I knew he would. He stood there for the longest time and I was beginning to wonder if he had even seen them leave. He just stared at InuYasha, pointing his partially transformed Tetsusaiga at him.  
  
Sesshomaru's eyes darted over to me. We locked eyes for a second. I blushed and ducked out of sight. Quite unnecessarily too because I had obviously been seen. Nothing happened, so after a second or two, I looked back up.  
  
When I did, Sesshomaru had used the Wind Scar against his brother... This is getting awfully boring--just sitting here. I wish I could do something. But what could I do?  
  
I could head off Miroku, Shippo, and the unconscious Kagome and prevent them from escaping...but I'm not necessarily "loyal" to Sesshomaru or anything, so why would I help him? Sesshomaru himself said all I was to him was a "good luck charm." But after thinking about it, I didn't have a reason to help InuYasha either.  
  
Grr. This is so helpless. Sighing, I continued to watch...and wait.  
  
A complexly fast battle ensued between Sesshomaru and InuYasha; one that I could not follow. It ended in the space of a minute with Sesshomaru as the victor. But the win was not without consequences: Sesshomaru had lost his human left hand and "his" precious sword.  
  
When it was all over, and Sesshomaru could no longer take the Tetsusaiga, he turned away from the battlefield. A strange swirly smoke appeared below his feet and began to lift him high into the air. Jaken had suddenly shown up and followed. Even the Saimyosho came out from hiding and joined Sesshomaru and Jaken in their flight.  
  
They were leaving.  
  
Were they leaving me?  
  
Was he just going to forget me?  
  
I'm pretty sure he knew where I was.  
  
Then without warning I began to float into the air. A strange smoke, much like theirs, formed beneath me, and I rose straight into the air.  
  
My cloud sped up to trail behind the others'. I looked down through the darkness at InuYasha and them for what I was sure would be the last time. Miroku and Shippo had run over to InuYasha and were trying to wake him. Kagome stood a couple feet back staring at me.  
  
I, of course, panicked at being seen, but soon realized that Kagome couldn't possibly recognize me as that "villager" who was watching the fight. I dismissed it and turned my attention to what was in front of me.  
  
My wispy, smoke-like cloud had joined up with Sesshomaru's. He didn't turn around or acknowledge my presence, so I tried to sit still. This was hard because we had a swarm of Saimyosho behind us.  
  
***  
  
+++Kagome+++  
  
I woke in Miroku's arms.  
  
What? Where am I? I remembered almost getting hit by Sesshomaru when InuYasha--  
  
"InuYasha!" I said aloud.  
  
I jumped out of the monk's arms and began to run towards all the flashing lights and sounds that I could only assume to be InuYasha and Sesshomaru.  
  
Miroku grabbed my arm before I was able to get too far.  
  
"No, you can't! He wants to do this by himself."  
  
As much as I hated it, I couldn't argue. No matter how much I hurt when InuYasha tried to act tough and fight alone, I couldn't interfere. If I did he would hate me for it.  
  
I couldn't see a thing. InuYasha could've been dying, and I would never know. If only I could do something to help him!  
  
A high-pitched yell echoed through the darkness causing me to jump. It sounded like InuYasha. He is hurt. I knew it! Oh InuYasha, let me come to you!  
  
Miroku seemed to hear this, my most inner thought, because he said:  
  
"Let's go to him now, Kagome."  
  
I half-smiled and nodded. Shippo jumped into my arms and we all ran back to the battleground.  
  
Sesshomaru and Jaken were standing on a thin gray cloud that shimmered and billowed beneath their feet. They were lifting higher and higher, the poisonous insects close behind them.  
  
We were close to InuYasha now. He was lying unconscious in a lake of his own blood.  
  
I covered my hand over my mouth and looked away. What if he died? What would I do? I realize I sound like I love the guy, but I'm just really scared about the idea of losing a friend--especially like this; covered in so much blood.  
  
I tried to take my mind off the thought of it by focusing on the black sky overhead. There was a strange, little gray cloud of smoke rising quickly into the air close by. Floating on the cloud was what seemed to be a dark-haired woman. As I peered harder, I noticed that I had seen her before. It was that weird villager who I had run into when I was coming back with Miroku's medicine. The cloud continued to race across the sky toward a larger cloud--the one that held Sesshomaru.  
  
What was that villager doing hanging around with Sesshomaru? Did he kidnap her? No, he would have no reason to. Plus, she didn't look scared. Could it be that she's a demon? But then why didn't I sense it?  
  
They soon disappeared from sight. I decided to pass the village girl off as a figment of my imagination. Besides Miroku's friend, Hachi the takuni, had arrived to carry us all home so, I couldn't waste any more time on the phantom village girl.  
  
***  
  
+++Jennifer+++  
  
We floated around for a while, the Saimyosho buzzing all around us. They were seriously annoying me. I looked up at Sesshomaru, hoping he would do something to make them go away.  
  
He looked down at me with cold eyes. I'm sure he was thinking something like, "Pathetic human." He said nothing but was deliberate in turning his eyes away.  
  
Jaken, it seemed, had grown tired of the annoying insects as well, for he had started complaining five minutes ago and has still not shut up.  
  
"Be patient," Sesshomaru told us. "Ultimately it is the jewel they're after. Surely they are waiting for me to discard the arm."  
  
He lowered his shirt and ripped off the flaming human arm.  
  
Oh my...look at him. Isn't he good-looking!  
  
My cheeks grew hot. I quickly averted my eyes for reasons I knew but didn't want to admit. Before I could look back and sneak a peak at Sesshomaru's well-defined chest, he had fixed his shirt.  
  
I noticed the cloud slow and eventually stop. Sesshomaru leaped from it and floated in mid-air. Turning to Jaken he beckoned, "come," then looking at me he ordered, "stay."  
  
They immediately left and headed into the forest below.  
  
***  
  
+++Sesshomaru+++  
  
"So Sesshomaru, you are not as ignorant as you look," Naraku's voice sounded from the trees above.  
  
I narrowed my eyes. He dare insult me.  
  
"Yet you are still unaware of certain things. You still do not understand the circumstances of your fate."  
  
What was this lower demon babbling about?  
  
***Flashback***  
  
Sesshomaru's body was rapidly turning to stone. Basoni watched menacingly and sneered at the now helpless demon.  
  
"Poor pathetic youkai. You still do not understand the circumstances of your fate."  
  
"Bwhahahahaha..."  
  
***End flashback***  
  
"Bwhahahahhaha!" Naraku's laugh echoed through the trees. Or more appropriately:  
  
"Basoni..."  
  
"Now you understand. It was I, Naraku, that so easily deceived you and sealed you in stone."  
  
I clenched my fist and smelled the air. Maybe I could sniff the villain out and rid myself of his wretched soul.  
  
Yet he perceived me, "Orukana, do not think you can kill me so easily. I am already far from here."  
  
A sudden wind blew past us, and he was gone.  
  
***  
  
+++Jennifer+++  
  
I had been sitting by myself for quite a while now and was beginning to wonder what had happened to Jaken and Sesshomaru. The sky was lightening in the east, signaling the approach of dawn. Which of course meant that I was going to get zero hours of sleep.  
  
I continued to complain to myself when it suddenly became very cold. Then there loomed a sinister voice behind me.  
  
"So, my Saimyosho were correct in saying that Sesshomaru-sama carried a human with him."  
  
I looked around frantically, but I saw no one or thing.  
  
The voice continued, "How very amusing it is to see the son of the Great Dog Demon keep company with such a creature."  
  
Who was this guy? Naraku?  
  
"I may have a use for you."  
  
A cold gust of air blew past me and then there was silence.  
  
"Well that was weird," I spoke to no one, "That very well could've been Naraku, but what did he mean by 'having a use for me'?"  
  
I couldn't continue my thought because Sesshomaru and Jaken had returned. Sesshomaru seemed very upset so I said nothing to him.  
  
"Did anything happen?" he asked me sharply.  
  
I looked up at him in shock. I wasn't too sure what had happened myself, but if it had anything to do with Naraku then he would be sure to want to hear it.  
  
I opened my mouth to speak, but I never got the chance to utter any words because Sesshomaru had turned from me and the swirly smoke beneath us began to move forward.  
  
"Good," he said.  
  
There was silence most of the way home, until Jaken began talking about the conflict between Naraku. I listened intently because it was unfamiliar to me. Jaken kept asking Sesshomaru questions, but he remained silent.  
  
+++Sesshomaru+++  
  
Naraku is a fool to have deceived me. I had felt that Basoni had not died. I smelled Basoni on Naraku when first we met. Then why did I not act on the impulse to kill him? That demon has used me for the last time. Basoni or Naraku, whoever you truly are, you will pay with your life. Because of your impertinence, you will feel the wrath of Lord Sesshomaru.  
  
~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+!@#$%^&*()_ +~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+!@  
  
A/N: I'm apologizing for the slight repeat in this chapter. I tried to avoid it as much as possible and tried to use the different perspectives as a way around the monotony of the repeat. I understand your grief, but that was the last time it is needed. The story picks up from here and it's all original!  
  
I also apologize for this being so late. I'm sure it's been at least three weeks since I've updated. This was a pretty long chapter to type and I've been burdened with lots of homework. ALSO I had planned to post last Saturday but my computer got a virus that spread to both our main and spare hard drive. So my dad had to scrap the whole thing and re-set up our computer from scratch. Everything's fixed now...so yay!  
  
I also have an exciting bit of news. I've had another one of my fanart pictured in a national magazine. This time it was in Animerica, an American magazine that talks about new anime and has stuff about conventions, interviews with creators, etc. They have an Art Gallery in every issue and have a different theme each month. The theme I submitted to was Witches, (in honor of Halloween), and I drew a picture of Kagome in Hogwarts garb turning InuYasha into a frog. The title is "Kagome's new version of Sit," and I think it looks really cool! My first pic featured in a magazine was one that had Bra and Pan on it for a Dragon Ball Z magazine. Pretty cool! Or at least I think so anyway.  
  
It's Fall Break and I have a FIVE-DAY WEEKEND! Whoo! I'm going to visit Washington University in St. Louis on the 16th and 17th, so I plan to write a lot. And while my computer was down I had time to type Ch. 9, so expect an update pretty soon!  
  
Anyway...That was a really long a/n. Uh...yeah! If you have any questions, PLEASE ASK! I know some of the story seems kind of confusing but I can't help you unless you tell me what's up. It should all be coming together fairly shortly, but if you do have any pertinent questions about plot, characters, whatever, please don't hesitate to ask.  
  
There! Done! Now all I need is to upload it! Then I have to go type the next chapter...grumble, grumble, grumble.  
  
*  
  
Random Question: What's a cool Japanese boy's name?  
  
* 


	11. Chapter 9

DIsClAiMeR: i Do NoT oWn InUyAsHa  
  
sTrAnGe InTeRlUdE  
  
cHaPtEr NiNe  
  
*  
  
The glittery cloud that swirled at the trio's feet began to fade as they neared Sesshomaru's mountain. Jennifer could feel the restore of gravity and fell gracefully to the entrance of the cave.  
  
She had seen a lot that day. She saw InuYasha and even got a chance to talk to Kagome--kind of. She was tired and ready to go sleep. She just hoped that the streaming morning sunlight into her room and the obnoxious call of birds did not keep her from her dreams.  
  
She was about to head inside, when she noticed Sesshomaru was not following her. She turned around to find him standing on the edge of the plateau, staring vacantly at the orange horizon. She cautiously approached him.  
  
"So...I, uh...{What do you say to a demon deep in thought and anger?}...heard Jaken talking about Naraku on the way over here. Are you...okay? I know that thing with Basoni upset you pretty badly..."  
  
Sesshomaru flinched. He looked down at her. She nervously kicked her foot at the dirt, her eyes turned from him at some indistinct point on the horizon. Such a strange being, he thought. Was she trying to show support?  
  
Jennifer continued, "I know this is kind of soon, but have you thought up any more plots to get at InuYasha?"  
  
Jennifer caught eye contact with Sesshomaru. His eyes glittered with that of murderous intent. Jennifer was at once frightened for her life; Sesshomaru could smell it.  
  
{Why though? I cannot kill her, yet still she fears death. Humans...}  
  
He spoke, "Tonight has failed to kill my enemy and in turn has given me another. It may be a while yet before they both are disposed of."  
  
"Who?" Jennifer responded, "Naraku? He'll die eventually."  
  
Sesshomaru's expression was altered, "How so?"  
  
Jennifer, {Oops! He's not supposed to know that. I could alter the course of this universe by telling him stuff. But this is all a dream anyway, right? I mean, a different dimension, anyway. No harm can come to my present time can it? My time. I wonder what has happened these few months I've been gone. Has my group left Japan without me?  
  
{Wait! What am I doing thinking about his now? Sesshy's still waiting for an answer. Whoa, did I seriously just call him Sesshy?}  
  
"Oh, nothing!" she said. "I meant that you can wait to kill Naraku. What you need to concentrate on now is InuYasha."  
  
"Hmm..." Sesshomaru replied, turning his eyes back to the glowing horizon.  
  
Jennifer continued, "He still has the Tetsusaiga, right? Once you get the sword, you can destroy Naraku for tricking you."  
  
"Yes," Sesshomaru added, "but without the human arm it is impossible for me to wield the Tetsusaiga."  
  
"Oh, right. You're demon, so you can't lift the thing..."  
  
Both fell silent and thought.  
  
{This is a pressing issue indeed. There isn't way for me to possess the Tetsusaiga because Father allowed it to only accept those with human blood to manipulate it.}  
  
{How can Sesshomaru defeat InuYasha and claim the sword? C'mon Jennifer, think! Surely you know InuYasha's weaknesses. Wait a second! What makes me care so much all of a sudden?.......I don't know...}  
  
{InuYasha is a half demon. He has the strength of our father and the blood of his human mother. This allows him to take hold and use the power of the Sacred Fang.}  
  
{If only there was some way for Sesshomaru to be like a half demon. That way he could take Tetsusaiga. But he's a full blood youkai. There's no way!}  
  
{InuYasha is a hanyou. The one thing he possesses that I do not is a human mother.}  
  
{He could trick some human into stealing the sword, but the guy wouldn't stand a chance against InuYasha's demonic powers. Perhaps they had another hanyou in the family. Better yet, what if Sesshomaru had a hanyou son? The blood of that son would be the same as InuYasha's and in theory would be able to wield Tetsusaiga.}  
  
Jennifer turned her gaze slowly to Sesshomaru. His face was slightly turned away from her, gazing out over the gray forest. The wind softly blew at his hair as he watched the ever-growing sunlight break over the trees. She scoffed incredulously.  
  
{There is no way he would go along with that. In his eyes, mating with a human would defile his blood. But--the idea is still plausible. Killing InuYasha with his own sword is great revenge, but then again would Sesshomaru accept it? And who would he get to have his---} Jennifer began to blush furiously.  
  
{She is staring at me again. What is it that she is thinking? The ways of this human are strange to me, yet I cannot help but feel drawn to her helplessness and fear. Hmm. How is it that I sense both elation and disgust from her right now?}  
  
He spoke aloud, "What is it?"  
  
Jennifer was snapped from her daydream. She had visualized her and Sesshomaru holding hands, walking through a field of wildflowers and grass. Trailing behind them was a little silver-haired, dog-eared, child who had a strange resemblance to both the human and demon.  
  
"Uh..." she began.  
  
Of course she could not tell him her fantasy, but what would he think of the idea?  
  
She continued, "I may have an idea on how to get the Tetsusaiga and get rid of InuYasha at the same time."  
  
Sesshomaru lifted his eyebrows in interest, "Intriguing..."  
  
Jennifer proceeded to tell him all that she had been thinking minus the last part about her ridiculous fangirl notions. She mentioned what a way to seek revenge on InuYasha it would be to have a hanyou younger than InuYasha himself steal and defeat him with his very own sword. It would prove Sesshomaru's superiority and further the line of inu youkai at the same time.  
  
Sesshomaru said not a word but seemed not to be angered by the idea. Jennifer became more and more uncomfortable with every second he did not respond. Perhaps he had not understood her.  
  
"But you know the deal with hanyous is that they have one parent that is not demon, in this case human...So that means that, if you were okay with it, you would have to...mate...with a human."  
  
Jennifer became very nervous. Sesshomaru still had not said a word.  
  
{Was he even listening? Ooh--I hope he doesn't kill me for mentioning such blasphemous things. Maybe he's thinking of a human stupid enough to want to...EW! Surely he wouldn't rape some random village girl and take the child! He does seem devoid of comprehending love, but I don't think he's that vicious!}  
  
She yearned to voice her opinion, but racked her brain for a better reason to discredit the 'Steal-A-Girl-And-Be-An-Evil-Rapist-Freak-Demon' theory. She found one and spoke:  
  
"It would be a lot of trouble to go through if you took some random village girl and...mated with her. You would have to watch her to make sure she conceived, kept, and gave birth to the child. It would be a lot easier if--"  
  
"You did it."  
  
Jennifer face went red. Her heart began to leap out of her chest. That wasn't what she was going to suggest, but she couldn't deny that was what she was hoping.  
  
"Yeah...I-I guess so...I mean with me there is the convenience of not really doing anything except, well, you know..."  
  
"Then it is settled," he said firmly, turning to walk away.  
  
Jennifer chased after him, "Wait! What do you mean, it's settled?!"  
  
"You will bear my son." He spoke as if it were the most basic thing in the world, not bothering to turn his head from the direction he was walking.  
  
Jennifer stopped. Her face was extremely red. She opened her mouth to protest.  
  
When Sesshomaru had reached the mouth of the cave, he turned around, "Unless...there is a problem?"  
  
If it were possible, her face became even more flushed. She brought her eyes away from his face and stared at the ground.  
  
"No...I-I just..."  
  
She wasn't sure what she was so hesitant about. It was a dream come true for her. How often comes a chance to have a hot anime guy's baby?  
  
{Well never, I guess. Anime isn't really real.}  
  
Still...something hung in the back of her mind.  
  
"What if I don't like being 'assigned' this task? Don't I get a say in it?"  
  
Sesshomaru looked down at her over his nose as if doubting her statement.  
  
Searching quickly for another good reason, "Also, uh, it's just that in my religion, sex and childbirth are kind of frowned upon before marriage."  
  
She moaned to herself, {Yeah, like that's going to hold up.}  
  
"Marriage?" Sesshomaru asked innocently.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Marriage. Marriage is when two people pledge to each other to be faithful, stay with, and love that person for the rest of their lives."  
  
Sesshomaru thought about this. He had no plans for love in the first place so surely one measly mortal lifetime would be easy to endure. Besides, he only needed the girl to get the child. Then she would have fulfilled her purpose and would no longer be needed.  
  
"Fine," he uttered and continued into the cave, crossing the foyer to the Hall of 5 Doors.  
  
Jennifer blinked in disbelief and again went after him. She grabbed onto his empty sleeve. Sesshomaru stopped in surprise and whirled around to face the girl as if she had done him some great dishonor by pulling on the vacant sleeve.  
  
Jennifer glanced around nervously, afraid of Sesshomaru's powerful eyes.  
  
"Wait," she said, "don't you think things are moving a little too fast? Shouldn't there be some kind of engagement, or courtship, or something first?"  
  
She thought of her own parents, "What's the point of getting married and having a child if you hate each other."  
  
Sesshomaru stared at her.  
  
{What a peculiar human. Her ridiculous notions of love and family mean nothing to me. My extreme loathing of InuYasha and thirst for expanding my own power will tolerate this for the time being.}  
  
He looked at her with his famous stone-faced expression, "Fine."  
  
"Uh...ok..." she chuckled nervously.  
  
{Why is she afraid?}  
  
Awkward silence then ensued.  
  
How To Properly End An Awkward Moment Such As This:  
  
Sesshomaru: "Where is Jaken?"  
  
Jennifer: "Uh...yeah, I'm hungry."  
  
"You're always hungry," Sesshomaru muttered under his breath.  
  
Sesshomaru walked into his room and Jennifer walked into hers. The day ended with a large lump on Jaken's head.  
  
~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+  
  
A/N: yay! Another chapter down!  
  
Some of you are already on my "mailing list". Sorry, I kinda just stuck you on there; I hope you don't mind. If you don't want to be on it...(you don't like the fic anymore? perish the thought!) please tell me.  
  
People on the list are:  
  
A Girl and her Muses, FranceGamble, Gaeamaker13, Dork In Training, Vegetachanlover, Kessie, and Divine-Heart  
  
These people have all reviewed at some point of another, so I thank them! If you would like to be on the list and your name is not mentioned above, please review like always, making sure to leave you email address somewhere in the text of your review. And again if you wish to be removed from the mailing list for some strange reason, please tell me in a review or email me.  
  
Thanks to all those who review. My day always gets a little brighter when I get a review from someone. It makes me think that people are actually reading this and I'm not just some miniscule fish in the sea of fanfiction.  
  
I'm trying to type up some of my other fanfiction so I can get some other stuff up. The first one I'll post will probably be a Fooly Cooly one. Never heard of it? It's kinda confusing but I still like it. Want to watch it? It's on Cartoon Network right now! Check your local TV listings! (11pm CENTRAL Monday thru Friday!)  
  
Also, I'm going to China November 28-December 21st. I'll try to update a lot before I leave and hopefully will have this fic next to finished by the time I get back. I'm going to Beihai for three weeks with eight other students and two teachers! How cool! Wo(3) hen(3) ji(1)dong(4)!  
  
*  
  
Question: Still looking for a cool Japanese boy's name. I have one in mind, but I still want to hear some others. So far only ONE person has responded. She suggested Shishio...I don't think it'll work. I kinda want it to be original and/or not directly from another anime. (thanks anyway Alyssa! Shishio is an awesome guy, but I don't want people to think of this character as wrapped in bandages). What a new character? Yeah.eventually.  
  
Oh never mind! TWO people! I just checked my mail. Thanks France! Peeps! France has suggested: Shinta, Shido, Ryu, Momo, Asa, Hiru, and Yoro.  
  
If you answer the question you may suggest your own favorite Japanese boy name or any of the ones above (including Shishio). If there is enough participation, I may institute an election of what this character's name should be. Think of long, elegant names too, (Like Sesshomaru...just rolls off the tongue doesn't it!)  
  
Babbling again! Go ahead.  
  
Review!  
  
*  
  
Final Thought: Thanks for listening. And Take care of yourselves and each other.  
  
* 


	12. Chapter 10

*  
  
Disclaimer: Wo mei yongyou InuYasha. Wo you Jennifer keshi wo mei you InuYasha.  
  
*  
  
Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter TEN  
  
*  
  
The sun rose over the craggy tree-covered mountains. The shadow of night fled from the dense forests and another morning started in the feudal Land of the Rising Sun.  
  
Sunlight fell upon a misshapen hole in the mountain face. Its light receded into the depths of the small pit and finally found its way to the floor of a cavern. The light continued and washed over the form of a curly, raven-haired girl.  
  
Jennifer squinted her eyes at the sudden change in brightness and blinked wearily. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Continuing to rub the sand from her eyes, she stood and wandered out of her room to the makeshift kitchen.  
  
She prepared herself a simple meal of rice porridge and went outside to eat and enjoy the freshness of morning. Her feet dangling off the side of the rock, she gazed out upon the pristine wilderness. Everything was so beautiful; the sound and smell of the morning breeze, the occasional chirping of birds and the crinkle of leaves rubbing against each other.  
  
{This isn't half-bad,} she thought to herself, {It's a simple existence, but at least I'm alive and I am able to enjoy this beautiful morning.}  
  
She inhaled deeply. The air, fresh and crisp, filled her lungs. She exhaled.  
  
{Today would be great day to take a walk in the woods,} she thought. {Oh, but I wouldn't be able to go. Sesshomaru is too protective---no, he's just heartless. He wouldn't understand. But he doesn't really need me...He--he wasn't serious last night anyway. Him want a hanyou son...with me?}  
  
A slight blush came over Jennifer's face and she shook her head. A new look of confidence came over her.  
  
{Who cares?! If I want to go hiking, then I'll go hiking! Sesshomaru isn't here anyway. He's usually gone until sundown, so I'll just have to be back by then.}  
  
She walked to the edge of the sheer cliff and scanned the area below for a safe way down. The far left side had the shallowest incline and sloped gently into grass only some 50-odd feet below and ahead of her. She sat against the huge boulder that formed the outer wall of the cave and slid from her seat to standing position on the nearest protruding rock under her. She began to climb down the rock face, and when it was not as steep, Jennifer turned around and began to walk/slide down the rest of the way.  
  
Momentum carried her the rest of the way. The tree line approached quickly. Only ten or so more feet to go. But it was almost too easy.  
  
As if on cue, Jennifer suddenly crashed into something and fell backward to the ground. She looked up and saw Sesshomaru.  
  
"Going somewhere?" he asked, sneering at her fearful appearance.  
  
"What are you doing here? ---uh, I mean, today is such a beautiful day. I thought I would go for a walk in the woods..."  
  
"You were going to leave without my knowledge?"  
  
"Uh...well, I didn't think that you were here. I thought you wouldn't mind as long as I got back before you did," she said.  
  
"You thought I wouldn't have noticed your leaving?" he asked.  
  
"Well, no--I mean. That's not what I meant!" she answered.  
  
"Then what do you mean?" he inquired. "Is it so horrible that you feel inclined to leave?"  
  
"No of course not!" she said. "I wouldn't have anywhere to go--I just- --"  
  
"You just wanted to leave the safety of the cave and travel blindly through the forest for any demon to find then," he charged.  
  
"No," she fired back, "I just wanted to take a short walk. There would be no demons!"  
  
"Perhaps now there are not, but the instant they smell you, worthless human, they will gather."  
  
"There you go again, talking bad about humans! We are not a weak and worthless species. I can take care of myself, I'll have you know!"  
  
Sesshomaru smiled to himself. She was mad. And he found it quite humorous when she got angry like that. Her eyebrows would knit together and she would make large hand motions to emphasize her points. Humans were not only weak, but also very amusing, he had decided. Maybe this human would have some worth yet.  
  
Jennifer continued, "You think I'm the weakest thing on this earth! You think, because I'm human, I can't do anything right. Well, I do a lot of things! I cook my own food, and clean up that dank, nasty cave! I'm a Girl Scout so I know what to do. If there was trouble, I could always just pop out some Tae Kwon Do on whatever attacked me. I think I can survive one measly day in the forest!"  
  
"Is that what you want then?" Sesshomaru questioned. "To spend a night in the forest by yourself? To prove your race and independence?"  
  
Jennifer faltered. This was very different from anything Sesshomaru had ever said. She was surprised that she had spoken out as she did. She was also surprised that Sesshomaru didn't smack her or something for what she had said. She was so shocked and surprised that she wasn't sure what to say.  
  
"Well," she finally spoke, "yeah. I guess."  
  
"Then it is settled. You may travel into the forest and camp there for one night. If you return tomorrow physically and mentally whole, then I will retract all of my previous insults to humans."  
  
"Deal," Jennifer nodded confidently  
  
"But." Sesshomaru looked deep within her eyes, "You must spend the next 24 hours completely without my interference, and if under any circumstance this pact is violated, I will think even less of you than the lowliest of humans."  
  
Jennifer stared at him strangely and slowly nodded. He was acting very weird. Before he hardly even talked to her, but now they were actually having a real, not forced, conversation.  
  
{He seems so strangely out of character. He must've grown a heart too, because he would never have conceded to the demands of a human.}  
  
Sesshomaru, as if he heard her thoughts, smirked, and then took off in a flash of white light. She blocked the blinding effects of Sesshomaru's energy by holding her arm up over her face. Once the light had gone, Jennifer could once again accurately perceive the world.  
  
She gazed up the mountainside and sighed, "I'm going to need a few things."  
  
She then began her climb back up the steep face to the high plateau that she called "home."  
  
***  
  
Jennifer had been walking for a couple of hours now. She was thoroughly enjoying herself. The flora, fauna, and the atmosphere of the forest were all so beautiful. They had an almost relaxing effect on Jennifer. She found a small brook and followed it to a clearing. It looked like the perfect place to set up camp and spend the night.  
  
She set down the pack she had made from some animal pelt against a tree and looked more closely at her new campsite. Off to the right, away from the little stream she had followed to the clearing, was a patch of land that was without grass and looked relatively dry. She would use that spot to build a fire.  
  
Jennifer then set out to find firewood. A short search later, she returned to camp and began to work on the fire. She placed three good- sized logs into the shape of a letter 'A'. She then grabbed some of the thinner sticks she had found and laid them in the middle of the 'A' leaning against the logs. Next she put in the tender (the dry grass and pine needles) and covered that with a few more sticks so it would be easier to catch.  
  
She laid the rest of her wood in neat little piles and instinctively reached into her pocket for a matchbook. Of course there was none. She groaned. This was going to be harder than she thought.  
  
At first she tried rubbing two sticks together, but it didn't work. Don't ever let anyone tell you this works, because it doesn't. Jennifer then remembered reading about a boy who was lost in the wilderness who used flint to create fire. She immediately set out to see if she could find some.  
  
It took longer than she had expected but she had found a few and within minutes, upon her return to camp, produced a fire.  
  
That night, as she covered herself in blankets she had packed and gazed into the fire, she felt fully confident that she would win the "bet" she had made with Sesshomaru. He might treat her better and actually trust her.  
  
She turned onto her back and looked up at the stars. They were brighter and more pronounced than in the city where she lived. There, light pollution covered the night sky leaving only the brightest stars for viewing. But here Jennifer could see every star she could have imagined. The blue-black blanket that was the sky was littered with stars of all sizes and brightness. The view was breath taking.  
  
She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She exhaled and quickly entered a blissful sleep.  
  
***  
  
She was at the campsite. The fire had gone out, so she tried to relight it. But every time she managed to get a spark going, the wind would pick up and blow it out. It was as if someone was toying with her.  
  
Out of frustration she reached into her pocket and pulled out her trusty blue lighter and flicked it on.  
  
{What? How did I get this? I didn't think I brought anything with me from the present...} she thought.  
  
"Go..." a voice whispered. It was so quiet that Jennifer wasn't sure she had heard it. Only when the voice called a second time, was she sure it was real and not just her imagination.  
  
The wind blew in circles around as it continued to call out to her. The flame on the lighter danced in the air with the wind, and as the wind increased in strength, the flame increased in size and ferocity.  
  
She couldn't remove her thumb from the button, so the flame continued to grow and swirl until it engulfed her entire hand.  
  
"YOU HAVE INVADED THE SACRED REALM OF THE SHADOW DEMON!"  
  
The fireball burned at her skin and Jennifer was about to collapse from the pain. Then, it suddenly leapt from her hand onto the dirt in front of her. The wind continued to blow furiously. Jennifer stared down at the black and red charred flesh that was her hand. She fell to her knees in a whimper and stared at the dancing fireball in front of her.  
  
A final gust came from behind her; hitting her full force in the back, knocking her hair over her eyes, and striking the flame into...she couldn't tell. After tossing her head back to remove the hair from her face she watched, burned hand clasped, the fiery figure dive into the dirt. A great shake rumbled through the earth as it did.  
  
The apparent demon sprang from the ripe earth in an explosion of dirt and ash. When her vision cleared, a horrible-looking creature of ash and flame greeted her. Its body was black and undefined; like a great black shadow with two, red, flaming eyes. It smiled maliciously.  
  
Jennifer was scared out of her mind. This awful beast was what nightmares were made of. What would it do to her, she wondered. She felt like lying down and pretending this all was not happening; that this demon was not real; that none of this was real. She really wished she could just wake up from this awful dream and get back to life. Her thoughts flew to her future and to Sesshomaru.  
  
The shadow demon opened its mouth and let out a high-pitched scream. Jennifer covered her ears, grimacing in pain from the sound and her disabled right hand. The breath of the fire coming off and from the demon's body licked at her face as she stared up in horror at the ash- covered entity.  
  
"What are you?" she asked in a panicked whisper.  
  
"I?" the demon motioned to himself with his hand. He laughed.  
  
"I am your worst fear, the Shadow Demon. Once a season I come to the surface world from the pits of hell to this holy spot. You, human scum, have violated my holy resting place, and now must die for your intrusion!"  
  
He let out another bloodcurdling scream. Jennifer grasped the sides of her head and squinted through the smoke and ash that seemed to slosh off the demon's body.  
  
Jennifer then tried to crawl away, before the 'shadow demon' could do whatever he was about to do. The ash and smoke that filled the air blurred Jennifer's vision and burned the back of her throat. She coughed on the vile air and covered her mouth and nose with her shirt as she frantically looked for some exit.  
  
The demon took in a deep breath causing a huge gust of wind like Miroku's Wind Tunnel to appear. He exhaled a burst of flame to Jennifer's left and right. The flame caught on the dry grass and wood she had collected the night before and spread wildly, forming a circle of flame all around her.  
  
{Why is it,} she thought, {that I'm always in fires? In the first fire Kenji was there to save me, but now...there's no one.}  
  
"Somebody help me!" she whimpered.  
  
The glowing red eyes of the demon stared laughingly at her. With a small flick of its finger the circle of fire grew smaller and Jennifer grew more afraid.  
  
***  
  
It was dusk and Sesshomaru was waiting at the cave for Jaken, who was returning from a "business" trip.  
  
He arrived a few minutes later on the two-headed Ah-Un, "Oh, Sesshomaru- sama! I have news."  
  
"Good Jaken," he responded, "I should like to hear it."  
  
Jaken jumped off of the carrier demon and quickly glanced around him. Something seemed...missing.  
  
"Yes Jaken, the news."  
  
"Oh! Forgive me, milord. Uh, as you know, I went to check on your sword order with Totosai and he still has yet to forge it."  
  
"How bothersome."  
  
"Indeed, milord, but when I told him that Lord Sesshomaru will not be patient as thus, he quickly assured me that in seven months time your sword would be finished."  
  
"Hmm. That Totosai. He really knows how to try one's patience. Seven months. That is a long time, for killing InuYasha is a forefront priority."  
  
Sesshomaru suddenly turned and sniffed to air. He thought for a second that he could smell the girl. He passed it off as only his imagination. Why would he care about that human anyway? He should be happy she was out of his hair for the day.  
  
{It is best not to think about it,} he concluded.  
  
A sudden realization hit the wondering Jaken, "Oh, Sesshomaru-sama, where is that human girl? Have you finally rid of her?"  
  
Sesshomaru did not answer. He had just decided to not bother himself with the subject, so why did he bring it up?!  
  
Jaken ignored his master's silence, and continued as if he had, "That's good. That nasty human was starting to annoy me. I don't see how you were able to tolerate as long as you did; she was stinking up the place. It's a good thing she's gone.  
  
Sesshomaru thought. Part of him agreed with Jaken. He despised humans, so getting rid of one human woman shouldn't have any effect on him. But...  
  
There was always a 'but'.  
  
But this human was different.  
  
Earlier, when he thought he had smelled her, he felt a tinge of nervousness and worry. But that was impossible. Great and powerful youkai do not display/have feelings, especially not towards humans. Unless...  
  
His father did.  
  
Sesshomaru was immediately filled with anger at the thought and turned to look at the vast expanse of forest that was his own. She could have been anywhere down there. He told himself he didn't care.  
  
A slight breeze came up from the trees. Sesshomaru let it wash over him. He inhaled the cool, night air and...Wait! There was that smell again. It was her all right. And...He could hardly smell it, but there was a slight stench of fear about her. Though, he thought, she feared many things and didn't automatically constitute this instance as an emergency, he...there was something else in the air that made him worry. He could smell demon.  
  
Sesshomaru quickly jumped off the cliff and sped swiftly toward the smell, leaving Jaken, still talking on the rock.  
  
***  
  
There was fire all around her. Jennifer stood to see if she could jump the shrinking ring of fire to safer ground and fresher air, but every time she got close enough, the flames seemed to leap higher, preventing her attempt.  
  
"Please! Somebody help me!" she screamed. Maybe someone would hear and come save her.  
  
{Huh! Yeah, right. If it didn't work the first time, it won't work now,} she thought.  
  
The shadow demon, who had watched and laughed at her practically the whole time through, spoke, "There is no one, so stop trying. You will pay for your crime and rot in hell a charred corpse!"  
  
Jennifer fell to the ground crying and coughing, {why does this keep happening? I don't want to die!}  
  
"Why doesn't everything just stop?!" she shouted, her smoke and tear- drenched eyes tightly shut.  
  
The evil laughter abruptly ended. The crackling and popping of the fire ceased. Everything fell quiet. Jennifer strained her ears and still heard nothing.  
  
Was it over?  
  
Jennifer opened her eyes. It was night and her head hurt badly. Her eyes adjusted to the lack of light and saw a looming figure over her.  
  
It frightened her. What now? Until she saw the yellow eyes and glistening silver hair, did she realize it was Sesshomaru.  
  
"Wha--? Sesshomaru?"  
  
"Sh!" Sesshomaru said. He was knelt over her body and peeled something off of her exposed belly.  
  
He held between thumb and forefinger a thick slug. Jennifer let out a small 'eep' and backed away. Sesshomaru eyed her strangely, then a green gas came from his fingers and he killed the insect.  
  
"What was that?" Jennifer yelped.  
  
"Those," spoke Sesshomaru, pointing to a dozen or so dead slug carcasses next to her, "were Dream-Eater Insects. They are a type of demon who attack their prey while they sleep, causing nightmares of that person's worst fear and sucking their soul."  
  
"Was I in trouble? Would I have died?" she asked.  
  
"Yes. If you had them on you much longer, you would have."  
  
"Oh. Then, thank you..."  
  
{Wow,} Jennifer thought, {Sesshomaru is actually being half-way decent.}  
  
"But why did you choose to sleep in their nesting grounds in the first place, you stupid human?"  
  
{Ugh. Never mind...}  
  
"Tch!" she scoffed, "Like I know what a Dream-Eater Slug-thing nest looks like!"  
  
Sesshomaru stood, "That is what is to be expected from a worthless mortal. That is pathetic. You cannot even defend yourself from the lowliest of demons."  
  
"Uh!" Jennifer opened her mouth in protest. She couldn't believe the words coming out of Sesshomaru's mouth. She would expect this kind of verbal abuse from InuYasha, but from Sesshomaru?  
  
But he was right. She couldn't last one night, like she promised. She was nothing but a pathetic human.  
  
Sesshomaru continued, "I should never have let you go anyway. A mere human, like you, can do nothing!"  
  
"I-I guess you're right..." Jennifer said, defeated.  
  
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, {What happened to her sarcasm and air of defiance. Oh well, her measly human spirit is broken. She'll be easier to train, now.}  
  
"You will have things to work on when you get to the cave. Come."  
  
He jumped into the air and ascended through the trees, no doubt to the cave. Jennifer felt her body become light and found that she was floating in the air after the white-haired youkai. She had no control over her body and decided to enjoy the ride while she could. The wind blew through her hair, and she felt better than she had all night.  
  
{That would be kind of cool,} she thought, {if I could learn how to fly...}  
  
~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+  
  
A/N: Yay!  
  
Finally!  
  
Sorry for the huge delay! Sadly, this might have to become a habit. Again, I apologize. I'll be in the air tomorrow.to CHINA!  
  
Whoo!  
  
*one pair of hands clap*  
  
*sigh*  
  
Check out my other fics (if you haven't already) to occupy your time. I get back in three weeks and will tell you all about it, I'm sure.  
  
Thanks to all my reviewers. Sorry, too rushed to name you all.  
  
Please review.  
  
~jenn/Trinity-33  
  
* 


	13. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi, (not me), created InuYasha.  
  
Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
*  
  
Birds chirped harmoniously. The trees blew gently in the morning breeze, the sun had just risen, and a teenage girl was sleeping blissfully in a cave.  
  
She had fallen asleep quite easily, despite all that had happened. Her body and mind were just so tired; she couldn't help but to sleep.  
  
It would still be a few more hours before she would get up and greet the new day. Maybe she would sing a few songs and sneak down the mountain and go exploring.  
  
SLAM!  
  
The wooden door burst open, banging against the stone wall.  
  
Jennifer sat upright, suddenly very awake and aware. Standing in the doorway, arm outstretched, was Sesshomaru.  
  
"Get up, Wench!" he shouted.  
  
Jennifer stared back at him with puzzlement and fear.  
  
"I said, 'Get up!'" he repeated, much quieter than before.  
  
Jennifer got to her feet. The cold air met her skin and she shivered. She bent down to grab her blanket.  
  
"What's this all abo---?" she began.  
  
"No speaking," he commanded, coming farther into the room.  
  
Sunlight streamed over him. Jennifer could see his emotionless face more clearly.  
  
Her expression remained puzzled. She stared hard at Sesshomaru wondering what in the world was chaffing his butt.  
  
"You lost the bet we made last night, so I have come to seek repayment," he said.  
  
{The bet?} she thought, {Last night was a bet? What does he mean by repayment?}  
  
"You are now nothing more to me than a slave." He spoke without conviction.  
  
{Wait, was I ever anything more?}  
  
"Now, get started! You have a lot to do."  
  
***  
  
My hand gripped the rag and soaked it in the wash bucket. I brought it out and scrubbed viciously at the wall. The wall, being rough stone, did not accept my frustrated attempt to clean it and in turn only ruined my rag.  
  
I wondered...Why exactly was Sesshomaru making me clean the cave. This morning he sounded awfully mad, but his face was vacant. How could what happened last night affect him so?  
  
I sighed as another hole was ripped in my washrag. Annoyed at the impossibility that was this task, I threw down the rag and with my forearm, wiped away my sweat and the hair that had fallen from my ponytail.  
  
I looked out toward the brightness of day and peered through the sunlight at the outside world.  
  
It was such a beautiful day...  
  
I turned back to my bucket of dirty water and torn rag. It was going to be a long day...AND I had a whole house to clean.  
  
It took a couple of hours but I finally finished cleaning the walls of the main chamber and had started to clean the side rooms. I wiped down the empty room on the far right. I dusted all the armor and weapons of the second. I was about to enter the third when I came to a realization.  
  
There, right in front of me, was the door to Sesshomaru's room. This door, though only a simple wooden door, was the gateway to the mysterious and almost holy abode of my keeper, Sesshomaru. Through all my stay here, I had only twice even come near the place--when first I had arrived and I was exploring, and that one time Sesshomaru had allowed my entrance.  
  
It was here that I was faced with a dilemma. To go in, or not to go in, that was the question. Sesshomaru had given me instruction to clean the entire house. Wouldn't that give me excuse enough to go in?  
  
I decided that it was permission enough. Besides, there was always the chance that the door would be locked. So I put my hand to the door and to my surprise it moved and opened.  
  
The oil lamps suddenly lit as if anticipating my entrance. I gasped and shuddered, then cautiously entered the room. I knew there was no need for me to be hush-hush about it, but, being the holy place that Sesshomaru's room was, I couldn't help but fear getting caught.  
  
Memories of that day and his story rushed back to me as I walked down the long hallway. How Sesshomaru's magic had turned on the lamps, the strange behavior he had exhibited during the retell of his story...  
  
The story...I had never given that story much salt. Did what he say happen really happen? So strange was his story, and so different.  
  
The hall widened and the familiar smell of Sesshomaru rushed to my nose. Nothing in the Sengoku Era smelled good. Everything stunk and was dirty, but this room smelled so...nice.  
  
I decided to take a moment to rest. I moved to his great bed and making sure none of my wet clothes would defile his sheets, I sat down.  
  
This was all too much. I've been here, what, two months now and I've already almost forgotten my life on the other side. Two months is a long time to be away; I wondered what the others were all doing without me. I wondered what my friends and family back home would say when they heard the news.  
  
"I'm sorry Ms. Reeves. We lost your daughter to a well in Japan."  
  
I could only imagine the reaction. My mom would die of a broken heart. But what if they knew I was here, in the past? What would they think then? Jennifer in the Feudal Era. Now there was a thought Haley and my sister would love...  
  
I looked down at myself--a crappy cloth apron over an already filthy silk dress. (Why'd I have to get all that fancy stuff? I cursed myself.) Some cool trip this has been!  
  
I let my eyes wander around the room. The tapestries, the furs were all as I had remembered it.  
  
I stretched and stood. Well, that was nice, but it was time to get back to cleaning.  
  
I reached for my bucket and gazed at the water's murky surface, hoping to see my reflection. The water glared blankly at me.  
  
Now how was I going to clean? The water's too dirty! I felt a slight tingle in my arm as I reached down into the wash bucket.  
  
The instant my fingers touched the cool, brown water my shoulder spasmed and the dirty water began to swirl around in the bucket. It began to dissolve, and a few seconds later, became clear.  
  
My reflection stared back at me in disbelief. I reached into the crystal clear water and pulled out the rag, to ring it out and check for dirt. It was still torn, but its water also ringed out clean.  
  
Could it be that the jewel shard in my arm had purified the water?  
  
I did not doubt it. I had almost forgotten about the little pink gem on that small-banded ring that rested in-between my shoulder blade and collarbone. I had almost forgotten Kenji, the man who rescued me from bleeding to death and putting that jeweled ring in my shoulder. And as impossible as it seems I had truly forgotten that that wound was given to me by Sesshomaru himself.  
  
I pulled down my sleeve and felt around the scar where the once gaping hole had been. Amazing how that was all that was left  
  
But I thought...if the jewel was magical--both cursed and blessed, dealing out pain and medicine, then how in the hands of a mere human could its strength be used?  
  
I pondered this question until I finally gave up searching for an answer and instead moved to experimenting with my power. Would not my cleaning be eons faster if I could control the jewel's power?  
  
I had to find out, so I walked over to the nearest wall and touched it with my left fore finger. I concentrated on the stone and willed it to be clean. Only after a few seconds of nothing happening was I on the verge of giving up. I sighed and removed my finger from the stone gray wall.  
  
Having resigned myself to manually cleaning the wall, I bent down to grab the shredded rag. Upon standing upright, my eyes did a double take as I noticed a strange white mark in the center of the wall. It was in the shape of the finger that I had just removed.  
  
It was strange that I had not noticed it when I had removing my finger it was--as if it had just appeared. The mark was clearly that of the imprint of my finger, so I determined that the jewel shard had to have done it.  
  
I moved closer to touch the mark--to test if the area had really been cleaned. The fingerprint-sized area suddenly grew and spread over the wall.  
  
Startled, I took several steps back and watched the jewel's magic work. It took less than thirty seconds to cover the entire wall. The dull gray stone was transformed to a brilliant white.  
  
Amazed at my newfound ability, I went about the rest of the room, touching the walls and floor, watching them slowly turn clean and white.  
  
I came to a stop at a door in the back of Sesshomaru's great room. A thick tapestry hung over the doorframe. In curiosity I moved the deep-red tapestry aside and found a whole other room beyond it.  
  
A small amount of light from the main room shone through and with that I found the lamp. I lit it and as the room became easier to see I was surprised what was before me.  
  
It was a closet! A gigantic closet filled with rows and rows of draped clothing. I noticed some white and a little bit of red. I walked up to one of the racks and pulled one off.  
  
I nearly laughed. They were all the same white and red shirt and pants Sesshomaru always wore. It seemed like something out of a cartoon-- the ones where the characters wear the same clothes and have closets full of them.  
  
Continuing to hold the shirt, I walked farther into the closet and picked up a pair of his long pants.  
  
Yep! All the same! The strange guy...  
  
I held out the outfit of his in front of me. It was kind of nice, and it was soft to the touch--Sesshomaru sure did look nice in it!  
  
A smile curled up my face. I wondered how I might look in it. I giggled and blushed at the thought of me in another man's clothing. ((Think dirty...))  
  
Without a further moments hesitation I threw off my clothes and slipped on his.  
  
So soft and loose...  
  
Finding a sash, I tied up my pants and went out of the closet to a find a mirror to look myself over in. I found a full-length mirror on the other side of the bed.  
  
Hey, I look pretty cute. I twirled around real fast and watched the long, wide cloth flow about me. The legs and arms were a little too long, but the flowy bulk looked kind of graceful.  
  
Part of me became satisfied with having tried on the robes and wanted for me to take them off. But Sesshomaru wasn't going to be home for at least four more hours. Why not have a little fun?  
  
Tucking in my sleeves, I marched out of the clean, white room in the dark, gray main chamber.  
  
I sighed at my previous attempt at cleaning and with one touch of my left index finger the dull gray/brown wall before me became a spotless white wall. I smiled at my newfound ability and skipped merrily through the house, cleansing the cave walls and floors and I went. To get the ceiling I jumped up to touch a low-hanging stalactite. The 'white' ran up the tall spire to the enormously high roof above me.  
  
I watched all the different 'white' movements converge together, making the house totally clean.  
  
"There!" I panted. The hours I would have spent cleaning was reduced, but at a great price. The magic had really taken a toll on my energy, and I felt really weak. I went to sit down.  
  
Now that I was done with all my 'chores' I could do whatever I wanted.  
  
But, when I started to think of my options, I came up practically empty.  
  
What could I do? I was a prisoner here.  
  
Suddenly feeling very depressed, I got up and wandered out of the cave to stare at the outside world, from which I was condemned never to visit again.  
  
How I wished I could be anywhere other than here! How I wished I had never jumped down in the well in the first place!  
  
I sat at the mountain's edge and let my feet dangle off the side.  
  
Why had I been so stupid? This was nothing like I had wanted to do in Japan's Feudal Era! I wished I could go home.  
  
{I'm so tired...of this...of this monotony,} I thought. {I feel like I could go to sleep forever...}  
  
...  
  
{At least I'm in Sesshomaru's clothes.}  
  
Snuggling onto my side, I buried my face into the folds of his/my sleeve. Legs still dangling off, I began to dream of home.  
  
~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*() _+~!@#$%^&*()_+  
  
A/N: SO SORRY it has taken this long. I'm ashamed of myself. I've had a lot of stuff to do...I've to get re-settled and had lots of schoolwork to get used to. It didn't help either that I got Final Fantasy X for Christmas; I've been playing that instead of typing fanfiction and taking care of my other responsibilities.  
  
I got a bonsai for Christmas too...He got dehydrated on the first day! The window in my room gets the most sun and my poor bonsai went dry and lost most of its leaves. (It's and Austrian Cherry, and not the traditional Japanese bonsai you guys may be thinking about.) He's feeling better now, though. He's got some new leaves and is enjoying his spot on top of my bookcase.  
  
Well, China was totally awesome. I went with a group of 9 students from my Chinese class and two teachers. We spent three weeks living with host families in a city on the southern coast of China near Vietnam. It was called Beihai (translation: North Sea) I had lots of fun. We went on scheduled day and field trips, and sometimes went to class with our host brothers or sisters. School is very different from the way Americans do it. They start school at 7:45 am. first is morning Exercises, then classes commence until noon. At noon the students go home to eat lunch with their families and take a nap. (INSTITUTIONALIZED NAP TIME!!!!) They return to school at 2:45 pm and classes continue until 5:30 pm. Then, the students go home to have supper with the family. After that the high school students usually return to school for night study which can last until 10:30 pm. They are very dedicated to their studies, unlike most Americans.  
  
To make a long three-week story short I had lots of fun with my friends in Beihai. Made some awesome friends who loved anime. Shoutout to Vivi! Got a lot of souvenirs and partied hard in Beijing (Note to Jenny/DIT: and you thought the alcoholic eggnog bit in the Cousin was crazy fun!)  
  
Please Review, and thanks for being patient with me. I can't promise anything, but I'll try to type out the next chapter as quick as I can.  
  
A chapter for Miroku's Mask may go up soon too. I haven't found page five yet, but I remember what happens well enough. Once it's up you all should definitely read it. It's hella hilarious! Once all four chapters are up, I swear you'll bust your gut reading them.  
  
~Thanks so much~  
  
Trinity-33  
  
* 


	14. Chapter 12

DISCLAIMER: I finished my clay bust of Sesshomaru the other day. I own that, my InuYasha fanart, my one InuYasha DVD, my one InuYasha manga, my InuYasha Playstation game and my self-recorded VHS tapes of InuYasha. Nothing more...nothing less... ((Did ya know that I can fit eight episodes on one tape while still keeping it in SP mode?)) Sorry that was a fnord...  
  
Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter TWELVE  
  
This normally calm and peaceful day was interrupted by a dark presence. The normally cheerful birds became silent as a dark cloud passed over the forest.  
  
The cloud was a thick, purple miasma. Hidden among the poison was the creature from whence the noxious gas spewed. It was a hideous creature of a bird. Wings of cracked, black feathers attached to long, thick, powerful wings pumped up and down giving the massive creature lift. The head, large and furry, was that of a misshapen griffin. Its black legs and talons hung loosely to its underbelly as it awkwardly moved through the sky.  
  
As the creature passed over the active forest, action ceased. All life seemed to shudder at the damned monster's unholy aura. It flew as if on its first flight--flying like a fledgling, a deformed babe.  
  
The would-be griffin was, in fact, just given life. It knew not the specifics of its birth, but only that it lived. He knew he had been created because of the malevolent voice in his head that told him so.  
  
"You are mine and will do as I command you," were the first words it heard.  
  
The voice continued to speak to it, giving it its one purpose, its one goal:  
  
"Go to the Western Mountain and take what you find there."  
  
The message played over and over in its mind--compelling it to obey its master's words and head west toward the mountains.  
  
It arrived there motivated and crazed as if under the spell of those haunting words.  
  
Using its eagle-eye vision it scanned the small mountain range. Its eyes explored every nook and cranny of every rock, searching for anything to appease its master. Fortunately, the beast's hideous aura had scared away he animals of the mountains causing them to seek cover in the forest below. Not even the tiny beetle remained on the rock.  
  
But one thing did remain. Something that creature, in his short lifetime, had not seen before.  
  
What he saw appeared to be two pale, stiff snakes jutting out of the mountain's face. The peculiar snakes each had five short, wiggly feelers on their heads where their mouths should have been and a short rectangle of brown...what appeared to be protective armor on the top of the head.  
  
The parthenogenized demon closely observed the seemingly lifeless animals that simply came out of the mountainside. It knew that its master was watching and would speak again before the griffin would attack.  
  
Its instinct guessed right. Its master was watching. Everything the creature saw, he saw. He could see the mountain looming forward as the griffin flew and through this link dictate the creature's thoughts. However far away he was, the demon from whom the griffin was born could maintain control of his creature under the illusion that the monster had free will.  
  
Lying defenseless in his castle was the awful demon's creator. Health almost completely drained, he had just enough strength left to stay in mindlink with the beast. Though his body was barely alive, his mind was wholly aware. With the creature's eyes he watched what it thought were the two snakes.  
  
Eyes closed, the once powerful and elusive, now weak and vulnerable, demon chuckled at his creature's ignorance.  
  
Those were no snakes, but a pair of human legs. That was the human he was searching for and wanted. The illusion of them jutting out of the mountain, he thought, had to be hologram magic.  
  
He laughed, "So, things are not as they appear to be. Sesshomaru, you were careless in hiding your valuables."  
  
He then ordered his incarnation to attack.  
  
***  
  
The creature did not know of its brother's reason and logic behind the command, but still did not doubt or question whether or not he should complete the task set out for him by his creator; he did not wonder if he would crash into the mountainside. The strange thing was he actually trusted his master.  
  
Flying higher into the sky, the beast prepared for its descent. With a ferocious shriek and an expulsion of thick miasma, the flying demon fell through the sky toward its prey. Outstretched were its claws, glistening in the sun, approaching closer and closer to its target. Getting closer and closer to the seemingly solid rock.  
  
One of the leg/snakes tried to move away from the griffin's strike pattern, but it was already too late.  
  
A scream was let loose as the horrible creature's sharp talons raked across the sm---  
  
***^.^***  
  
+++Jenn's perspective+++  
  
I lay there on the flat rock for about ten minutes or so. I had kind of gotten over my depression, but I kept feeling this strange sense of dread. Maybe I was just tired.  
  
It suddenly became dark...as if clouds had covered the sun.  
  
I sighed. Now even my sun was being taken away from me.  
  
"SKEEEEEEEEEEEH!!!"  
  
A horrendous screech filled the air. Startled, I snapped my neck around to find what was making the sound.  
  
A ginormous (gigantic + enormous) flying bird/thing was diving straight at me. During the few seconds before the thing would reach me, I gazed upon its wretched face. Its black beak, jagged and cracked, dripped a thick ooze. A look of crazed determination beheld its fierce yellow eyes.  
  
Immense fear came over me as I watched it draw nearer. Paralyzed, I could only gaze and scream in horror as its disgusting black talons tore into the soft flesh of my calves.  
  
~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@##$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*( )_+~!@#$%^&*()_+  
  
A/N: Hee, hee, quite a cliff if I do say so myself! Is it just me or does this chapter seem really short? Sorry for cutting it off right there but...I like to make people suffer!  
  
MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  
  
In all seriousness I was pleased enough to get this chapter out in a couple of weeks after the last one. You probably may not see this much diligence from me for a while. IB and AP tests are coming up. But it's Lent now, so instead of playing videogames I might spend more of my time typing. But this next chapter is only half-written. I've decided to insert a couple of chapters because otherwise things were happening too fast.  
  
Now I think I will answer a couple of questions my valued reviewers have asked.  
  
Dork In Training: How long will the fic be? Right now about half of what I have written is posted. And I have written past the halfway point, so you can expect anywhere from 40-50 chapters. This is not including the semi-sequel, the AU side stories, and other ideas I have for this story.  
  
FranceGamble: Being a "curious human", why did you want those Japanese boy names several chapters back? I'm about to add a few new characters that are currently nameless. So I actually need some girl and boy names. (France—I'll email you with the real reason! ^_^!)  
  
That's all I can think of right now. If ever you have questions, feel free to ask. I answer them as straightforward as possible (I'm not going to reveal too much!)  
  
Thanks for reading and as always:  
  
Please Review!  
  
~Trinity-33 


	15. Chapter 13

DISCLAIMER: I don't own InuYasha  
  
***  
  
Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter 13  
  
***  
  
The horrific demon of burnt feathers and cracked talons was now latched onto the girl's previously draping legs. The creature flapped its wings to give it lift and exposed the rest of the girl from the protective hologram. Its fierce yellow eyes widened in intelligence. It now understood what it earlier had not.  
  
Master wanted this human.  
  
All the while Jennifer screamed. The pain of the poisonous claws digging into her flesh and bones was excruciating. When the flying monstrosity had swept back its wings to pull itself and the human higher, the force of gravity caused its claws to dig deeper into her legs, almost to the point where they almost came through the other side. The pain was so intense that she was on the verge of fainting. She had only moments before looked up into the sky to find her death flying straight toward her. Now she wondered if death would have been better than this torture.  
  
As it flew skyward, Jennifer's body swung precariously below the bird demon. Gathering up her energy she swung herself forward and grabbed onto the demon's feet. She thought that if she could reduce the pull on her legs they wouldn't get torn to shreds. She reached farther up the legs of the beast and held on for dear life.  
  
The miasmic fumes being expelled from the demon's feathers suddenly became thicker, and the bird uttered a low and forewarning squawk. Jennifer tried to cover her nose and mouth, but to no avail. The fumes entered her lungs and she began to cough. She clasped even tighter to the griffin's black and bloody legs causing it expel more of the noxious gas.  
  
It then peered down at the oddly contorted human and let go of one of her legs. The released leg hung loose, blood freely streaming from the wound. The creature moved its free leg over the girl's head and widened its talons. It would strike at the girl's skull and end her annoying existence.  
  
The claws came down and Jennifer closed her eyes, once again expecting death.  
  
{Stop,} the malevolent creator's voice spoke.  
  
And the incarnation stopped his attack. Jennifer had heard the voice too--a hideous voice. The chill the voice sent through her already shaking body made her stomach flip and her breath still.  
  
It spoke again, {I want the girl alive.}  
  
Jennifer knew this voice.  
  
{...and in one piece...}  
  
There was only one demon she could think of that had a voice as evil and harsh as this.  
  
{So unless you want to die, it is advisable that you take those claws from her.}  
  
"Naraku," Jennifer whispered.  
  
The winged creature shuddered at the utterance of its creator's name. It grudgingly wrapped the claws that were about to decapitate the suffering human around her waist. Then, removing the other claws from her torn legs and placed them next to the other ones on her waist, paying extra care so as to not injure the girl any further.  
  
Blood streamed out of the open wounds as they were exposed to the air, introducing Jennifer to a new awareness of pain. She winced, murmured, and reached for her legs to comfort them, but the demon's hold prevented her from doing so.  
  
She squirmed in discomfort and pain, beginning to cry. She then called out for Sesshomaru to come and rescue her, semi-consciously knowing that her plea would never reach him.  
  
Naraku, the despicable assemblage of human and demon, laughed at her foolish desire of her prince rescuing her, {Surely you know your muffled cries are useless—no one can save you.}  
  
Tears in freefall, Jennifer's future seemed glum. With nothing else to do, she thinks.  
  
{What is to happen to me? What does Naraku have planned? Will I ever get to see Sesshomaru again? Or worse, what will happen if I don't get to return him his clothing? Will he even care that I've gone and died?}  
  
For a moment there is silence. All that is heard is the creature's irregular flapping, the force of the wind against the floating bodies, and the weeping of the human girl in Sesshomaru's clothing.  
  
After a minute, Naraku spoke again—an edge of annoyance in his voice, {Child, I cannot bear to hear you cry anymore. You grow pale from cold and loss of blood. Stop your tears. You are in good hands.}  
  
Drying her eyes, "Good!?" she spat, "Your hands good? I know you!" she demanded, "I know what you'll do! You murderer!!"  
  
{Dear child,} he whispered in a feigned caring manner, {be still and cry no more.}  
  
Jennifer gasped as she felt an ominous force invade her mind. He played into her head an image of a room. The room was dark and undefined. There was some furniture in the room, but everything was blurry and Jennifer wasn't sure if the walls melded into the tables and chairs, or if there was really anything there to begin with. She figured there was at least something in the black room inside her mind because she found herself sitting on a faded black sofa that flowed and intertwined with a nearby easy chair. She found it hard to keep her eyes open in this dizzy place of black.  
  
A painted wood door, in the middle of the dark wall in front of her, creaked open. There stood a rather clear and in-focus Naraku. He approached the morphing sofa, one side of his mouth sliding suspiciously upward into a smile.  
  
Seeing Naraku's face, his wavy, dark hair flowing around him and swirling into the environment of the room, and his noticeably red eyes filled Jennifer with fear. She wondered what would happen to her now.  
  
Naraku came close enough to take her hand. Jennifer was instantly repulsed and tried to yank her hand away, but his grip was too strong.  
  
"I would never dream of harming you," he whispered, lifting her hand to give it a sloppy kiss.  
  
Jennifer felt like throwing up. Her head was swirling like the room they were in. Naraku smirked as he saw her eyes roll into the back of her head.  
  
{Something...about...that kiss...} her mind uttered before slipping unconscious.  
  
***  
  
Jennifer awoke with a pulsating sting in her shoulder. She rubbed it vigorously with her right hand. She looked at her surroundings and wondered where she was. The room she was in was eerily plain. She was not where she was supposed to be. Which meant that her horrible nightmare must have been true. The memory of the griffin-demon raking its claws into her skin and bones came rushing fully back to her. The excruciating pain, the nauseating feeling she got from being suspended over mountain and sea as she was dragged through the air—she wondered why her legs weren't hurting right then. She hadn't noticed them at all since she had woken up. Maybe she didn't even have legs anymore.  
  
In a rush of panic, she tore off the purple sheets that were lying on top of her. Her legs were still there, but the once bloody and inflaming wounds were gone. The only evidence that she had ever been taken by the bird were the shredded pants she was wearing.  
  
Thinking of the horrible event made Jennifer cringe. She rubbed at her legs, surprised that they did not hurt. Despite her relief, there was some other dread she couldn't quite place. There seemed to be something she was forgetting. What had happened right before she fainted from loss of blood that horrible day? As she tried to concentrate on that wavy dream about two people trapped in a deranged room, a loud thump interrupted her thoughts.  
  
Startled, Jennifer stared at the door. There could only be one person behind that door. Which meant that she could only be in one place. She was somehow in Naraku's castle. Did that bird drag her all the way here? Then how did she get in the room and on the bed?  
  
Unless...  
  
Her expression changed to that of disgust when she thought of what Naraku might have done to her. There was another thump that made her heart jump. A voice announced its presence:  
  
"The young maiden is up. That is excellent. Have you seen how nicely I've fixed your wounds? You're quite welcome for it, my dear."  
  
Jennifer's blood boiled, "I didn't thank you!"  
  
She yelled even though she had no proof he had done anything to her, (besides the kidnapping), she couldn't help but feel extreme anger toward him.  
  
"Temper, temper. We'll have to fix that."  
  
A shrill yell sounded from somewhere within the room, causing Jennifer to bend over double and cover her ears with her hands. The sound only got louder. She felt her head grow light. He was trying to knock her out again. Not knowing what the demon might do to her once she fainted, she strained to stay conscious.  
  
"Stop it, Naraku!" she screamed. Jennifer was at her wit's end. She could think of nothing but the awful sound, and felt herself shrinking in pain.  
  
Involuntary tears welled up and dripped from her eyes. Like a small child, she whined, "Stop it! Stop it now, or I'll tell Sesshomaru on you!"  
  
The paper door to the room slid open and the ear-splitting shriek stopped. Standing in the doorway was none other than the half-demon Naraku. Jennifer held her head up to look at him, sniffling and rubbing her watery eyes with her oversized sleeves.  
  
There stood the evil man that had done this to her. He made her cry. Just when she thought she was a big girl, the mean man went and made her cry.  
  
Sesshomaru's humongous clothes lay about her. The tie was too loose, so the sleeves were falling to her elbows. How did her shoulders get so small?  
  
Naraku smiled wickedly and laughed. In mid-chuckle he suddenly lacked the amount of oxygen to complete the action and began to cough a vicious, hacking cough. Only a few seconds earlier his body had appeared healthy and full of vigor, but now, looked like that of an old man, haggard and frail. He looked as if he as on the verge of death. The weak demon stumbled as he walked farther into the room. His face was ghostly pale and his breath was heavy.  
  
All of this went unnoticed by the girl.  
  
"It's not nice to laugh at people," Jennifer whined while using her right hand to dry her face and the other to pull up her constantly falling sleeve.  
  
Naraku spoke in a whisper now, "Hush now, my little dear. I did not mean to upset you." He kneeled next to the mat and opened his arms wide to hug her.  
  
A red light went off in the back of Jennifer's mind. But the red light was pushed so far back into Jennifer's consciousness that she did not recognize it. Her body yearned so much to be comforted that it didn't matter from where or who it came. And despite the screamings of the remaining adult portion of her brain, her 5-year-old arms wrapped themselves around the inviting demon's frame.  
  
+++Naraku's POV+++  
  
"That's right, my girl..." I whispered while closing my strained and weak limbs around her tiny back. It was strange. My whole body felt as if was falling apart. And even my thoughts were exhausted. This summon magic is very tiring. I can hardly breathe.  
  
I felt the girl nuzzle her head deeper into the folds of my vest. I smiled. At least I managed the reverse-aging spell before my body became too weak. Now, she'll be easier to train.  
  
My lungs then heaved violently and I collapsed on the edge of the futon. The girl fell with me. She raised her head of black curls and a look of worry came over her rosy, tear-stained cheeks.  
  
"Uncle, are you all right?"  
  
True concern from the lips of this human—the idea made me smile. This girl was already falling to the magic. I shut my eyes in exhaustion. The girl started moving around and was making noise with the sheets. I managed to open my eyes and caught a glimpse of the tiny human laying her sheets over me. My eyes shut once more and I smiled.  
  
"It's okay, Uncle," she whispered.  
  
The last thing I remember before my consciousness slipped from me was the frame of the little five-year-old cuddling against mine.  
  
O Sesshomaru, how easily I have stolen your treasure from you! You haven't the faintest idea as to what she means. How you will regret your loss!  
  
~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*() _+~!@#$%^&*()_+  
  
A/N: Ah, this chapter took too long to type. I'm so sorry for introducing over a month since the last update. I wanted to update Friday of Spring Break...but I spent all week on my IB English Oral.  
  
So here I am. Watching Adult Swim. Witch Hunter Robin just finished. Tuesday's episode was the last of the series and quite a disappointment. Now as I watch the first episode, my attention is diverted from the art and the dialogue because Adult Swim decided to be cute and draw mustaches on everyone. How annoying. But back on the annoying ending: I want more! Where is my ending? What are Amon and Robin doing? Each other? Tell me!  
  
Mwa-hwa-hwa-hwa! I'll just write some fanfiction.  
  
Damn it! Now they are doing it to InuYasha too! Those bastards! (Excuse my colorful language...oh look! Green!) That annoys me so much. I should log on to adultswim .com and post something on the boards. I participated in the whole discussion about croc v. shark, expecting AS to display my message on TV, but whatever...it didn't.  
  
Oh well, I guess it's a pretty good April fool's Joke! The mustaches...  
  
My, my, my. Quite a long Author's Note! Well if ya wanna talk about stuff then go ahead and blab in your reviews and we can have ourselves some meaningless conversation! Now it's Question Time!  
  
Animekitty asked, "How long had Jennifer been in Feudal Land, anyway?" This is a tricky subject. I know in descriptions I often say, "It's been a few months...several months...such a long time...blah, blah, blah." But I think by this point...it really has only been two months. The timeline is all outta whack in comparison to the actual InuYasha timeline. For instance, InuYasha's first and second Sesshomaru battles happened so quickly in this story but a lot has to happen before the InuYasha-gumi meets Sango or Totosai. So time (InuYasha time) will be screwed up but that's just something that will have to be dealt with (by you the readers...not me....I'm not going to go through any major revisions unless I really have to.) Thanks for this question, Animekitty. I was wondering if anyone cared/noticed.  
  
Which brings us to another question. One no one asked, but one I'm sure you're all thinking about. Readers: WHERE'S InuYasha?! YOU PROMISED US InuYasha! Author: Did I really? When did I do that? Hmm...maybe I didn't...Oh well. In either case, InuYasha is coming! But it is in a long time away, I am afraid. (Kenshin-itis!) We have to get to major-fluff scene number 3.1415926... (If you didn't notice that number is pi.) Kidding. I don't have a number for it, but we get a glimpse of InuYasha in about ten chapters, and then he becomes a MAJOR part of the story in what I have dubbed "Part Two." (15-20 chapters away) Yes...I know. I'm so slow! On average this fic is getting updated once a month....it'll take years! NO! MUST...BE...FASTER!!!  
  
Summer! Yes, summer! I'll really buckle down during summer!  
  
THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF STRANGE INTERLUDE WILL BE MET WITH CELEBRATION! (July 26, peoples)  
  
Also...if you notice, I now stand at the precipice that all novice fanfiction authors face. Somewhere close to the first major milestone...100 reviews.... I have many people who read this fic. And if you all review this chapter I hope I can reach that milestone! With your help, I can be one of the greats! In my eyes anyway... *reads last sentence* Man, I sound really self- centered!  
  
A group of Chinese exchange students are coming Friday, and I am hosting. When I was in China in December, I met a lot of people who liked anime, but I don't know if my host sister is one of those people. I remember meeting her, but I didn't get to know her that well while I was there. I'm so excited! Can't wait! Ok, I'll shut up. This Author's Note is TOO long.  
  
Goodnight everybody and PLEASE REVIEW! |  
  
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	16. Chapter 14

*  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha  
  
*  
  
Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter 14  
  
*  
  
Nestled between the high craggy outface of a mountain and a dark dense forest surrounding it was a large Japanese-style mansion. The great house, because it lay across many acres, had a vast expanse of layered tiled roof , which gave the one-story building the illusion that it was much taller. A short distance from the mysterious mansion was a village that was dwarfed in comparison to the mighty castle. The villagers knew of the existence of the large mansion, but never felt any ill will toward it. It was the home of their wise and benevolent elder lord and the lord's handsome and promising son.  
  
Just a few days ago the lord's adviser announced to the village people that the lord's young son had grown deathly ill. The village people worried for the health of their next king and flocked by the dozens to local shrines to pray for his safe recovery. It was also announced that very same day that the elder lord had adopted a small wandering orphan from the town out of pity and kindness as a gift to his son. His thinking was that a new sister might cheer his son's dreary spirits. The villagers had never known of the poor orphan girl the announcer claimed had lived in the streets of the village, but this did not matter to them; they trusted their king.  
  
But unbeknownst to them was that a horrible demon had taken the place of their promising young lord and was furtively controlling the entire castle staff, including the king. He was a malevolent demon born from a human corpse and the small orphan child was a bewitched maiden from another place and era. In the grand opera that the demon had created in his castle, he played the all-important role of Great King and the little girl, with whom the future of the world lay, was his princess.  
  
The past few days had been peaceful enough. The civility spell had worked well, and as far a s anyone could tell, she looked and acted like any five-year-old would. Jennifer had been completely transformed—her body as well as her mind were that of a five-year-old. She was completely obedient and followed Naraku around as if he were her parent.  
  
The day after Jennifer's capture, when the guards went to check on 'Prince Kagawaki's' illness, she was sitting by the disguised demon's side, comforting him, her ailing master. When they left, Jennifer asked of Naraku, "Uncle, you aren't really sick, are you?"  
  
Naraku smiled and gave a chuckle. How easily she, too, could not see through his guise.  
  
"Sadly, it is true. I am very weak now, but I will get better. Do not worry your little head."  
  
He then stood from his bed and without even a limp or heavy breath he strode through the halls to the interior of his castle. Jennifer, confused, immediately jumped up and trailed after him.  
  
"Naraku! Aren't you sick?"  
  
"Suddenly child," he said with a smirk looking down at her, "I'm feeling much better." He placed a hand onto her curly head. Flashing a big, dimple-less smile, she voiced her relief and continued to follow him about the castle on his daily routines.  
  
***  
  
It remained as thus for several days and the fifth day was no different. The bubbly, attention-seeking kindergarten-aged girl adored her guardian, and had completely forgotten about her home in America, her trip to Japan, including her leap into the Feudal Era, and her stay with Sesshomaru.  
  
That evening, on the fifth day, was to be Prince Kagawaki's first appearance in front of village since his 'horrible illness', and Jennifer was to come along. For so special an occasion, the proper attire was necessary. After Kagawaki's vassals dressed a weak-acting Naraku, they moved to dress the girl. But Naraku stopped them. He demanded that he had enough strength to dress his own sister. And they left him.  
  
Naraku, quickly quitting his front once the guards had left, stood up and escorted the girl to the inner workings of his lair. Walking into her recently assigned bedroom, Jennifer bounced lightly onto her bed, while Naraku headed to the closet.  
  
"So, what do I have to wear to the party, Uncle?" she asked running to the window, her freckles becoming more prominent now that she was in the sun. It was a beautiful day, and Jennifer had never been outside before, so this meeting with the villagers was a special one.  
  
"We will dress you in the best robes of the kingdom!" he responded, a smile on his face. "Now, come on over here, so we can get you dressed."  
  
"Yay!" she exclaimed.  
  
She bounded away from the window and jumped onto the kneeling mat near the bureau.  
  
Naraku was currently searching the small, shelved closet for what he dubbed, the 'perfect outfit'. Looking through the piles of dresses, robes, and then some, he came across the dirty, tattered pair of clothing the girl had been wearing the day she was kidnapped. By the smell that still lingered in the threads of the fabric, she could tell that the pair belonged to Sesshomaru. Naraku's eyes narrowed. Even after the spell had set, and her memory was wiped clean, she screamed and cried when he had tried to dispose of this last evidence of her former life. He scowled at the ripped and bloody robes, and threw them violently back into the standing wardrobe.  
  
Naraku continued to rummage for a pair of suitable clothing for the ceremony. He finally pulled out a folded pair of clothes and turned to kneel in front of her. After having done so, he laid the clothes next to him, on his right. Jennifer raised her arms above her head, so Naraku could reach behind her and untie the sash from her clothes.  
  
As the demon smiled and reached around the human girl, he started to loosen the tie that held her shirt in place. But then Jennifer's normally carefree demeanor suddenly changed. It was as if something in her mind finally gave way. Her eyes changed from excitement to extreme terror and confusion. Suddenly the view of Naraku, the evil molester, reaching his tentacles around her waist did not sit well with her. And as if she had become a whole different person, she suddenly despised him, and slapping him across the face, she ran screaming from the room.  
  
She ran down the long, echoing hallway, screaming profanities the whole way. As she turned corners she ran into side tables, knocking them over or accidentally breaking something.  
  
Naraku burst through the beaded doorway into the hall. His eyes were bright and aflame, and his thick smoky hair was flowing behind him like a tangle of sinister web. The spider's prey had escaped his web, and he was livid; it was time to recapture her. He charged through the hallways, determined to find the girl.  
  
{That human! How dare she! If she wasn't so necessary to my plans, I wouldn't even be wasting my time on her. How is it that even under the obedience spell she has free will. She is still repelling my sorcery. Something must be done about her if my plan is to succeed.}  
  
But he soon lowered his temper. She was but a little human girl. He would just have to use stronger magic on her. Even if it meant his body would wear out faster, the pain and annoyance of absorbing more demons dwarfed in comparison to the benefits his Ultima Weapon could bring him.  
  
He strolled down the hall in the direction he assumed Jennifer had run. The prophecy must be fulfilled.  
  
+++Jennifer's POV+++  
  
And I ran. This was all too much.  
  
{I'm so scared. I wish I my mommy were here.}  
  
No! Stop! My own thoughts were betraying me. What was happening to me? I kept acting like a little girl. I had no idea what was going on or where I was. The past few days were like a dream to me. I thought I had only dreamed of a visit to "Uncle" Naraku's house. Warily aware, I watched myself communicate and interact with Naraku as if he actually were an uncle. Only when I felt myself "wake" from the dream, did I realize I wasn't dreaming. The kidnapping was real. This little girl's body was real. I knew within my heart of hearts that Naraku had done this to me, but exactly how and why he did it was still a mystery to me. My memory was blurry, and I couldn't remember exactly what had happened between the bird's huge cracked talons and the grinning face of the black-haired demon reaching around my body.  
  
So now I was running. Running to where, I suppose? I had no idea. This maze of a place probably led nowhere. I was running in circles with no place to go. I ran blindly, constantly bumping into corners, crying the entire way.  
  
My tiny body was soon at a strain, and could run no more. I saw an open door, and ran inside the empty room. Sliding the door shut behind me, I ran into the farthest corner and curled up, chin to knees, weeping. What was this nightmare?  
  
There was a full-length mirror in the room. I stared at the piece of glass held by the intricate iron frame as if it too was evil. After a few seconds of silent staring, I rubbed my eyes and crept over to the thing. I stood in front of the mirror of gilded edges and gazed into its polished, unblemished surface. In the mirror stood a small girl, probably no less than four. Her soft dark hair hung in ringlets and that clung to her temples with sweat. Her deep brown eyes were swollen with tears and glistened in the light of the room. The girl's freckled cheeks were both pale and reddened at the same time. The fright of her situation and the exhaustion of her recent run through the Labyrinth caused this anomaly of expression.  
  
Who was this girl, standing in the mirror so sad and alone?  
  
I watched a silent tear roll down the girl's rounded cheeks, and I raised my hand to touch the mirror's surface to try to wipe the girl's tear away. The girl in the mirror did likewise and our hands met at the mirror's surface.  
  
What was really going on? Why was I now in the body of a little girl? Not just any little girl. It was me. I had been returned to the body of my younger self. But why? And if this was my body, if it was me, then why couldn't I control it? The actions my body took over the last few days were not my own. It wasn't me who had comforted and cuddled next to the dying Naraku that first day. It wasn't me who followed him around like a duckling every winking moment. And it couldn't have been me who was on the hard wood floor crying my eyes out.  
  
It was someone else—some other consciousness within my mind. And the mind slips I was experiencing were proof of it. Was my giddy and sad five- year-old self brought back along with this body? Poor soul... What other tortures must she endure?  
  
I say this because my life at age five was not a pleasant one. It was the year my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and was falling sick. That was also the year I had the lead in the kindergarten play, and none of my family came to watch. And that was the year my parents got a divorce, and my father moved away.  
  
Maybe that was why I couldn't stop crying. The resurgence of my adult consciousness also brought back the painful memories of my childhood up to that point, and now she...er...I was crying.  
  
The door to the room suddenly slid open, interrupting our tears. There the beast stood. The heartless creature that transformed me into the figure of my former self and had subjected my younger consciousness to such pain stood in the doorway and had fake grin plastered across his face. In the demon's right hand was the pair of clothes he was going to put on me before I ran away. His face held the demeanor of a loving yet irritated parent.  
  
He tried to coax me with the gentle words a parent might use, "Why, whatever is the matter, dear sweet child? You scared Uncle by running off so suddenly."  
  
I forced myself to the front of my childish mind and spoke, "Naraku! You vile monster! What have you done to me?!"  
  
Naraku, not at all taken aback by my accusation and question, instead smiled even wider and continued his pathetic charade.  
  
"Whatever do you mean, small one?"  
  
"Me! This body!" I shouted in a surge of emotion, "Just what do you have planned, you perverse pedophile?"  
  
"Poor Xiao3 gu1er2, you must be feeling feverish. Hao3 yi2han4. You do not know yourself."  
  
This was crazy! What was he going on about?  
  
"What is my true self?" I asked, hoping to pry some answer from the lying creep.  
  
And once I did, his eyes locked with mine. His gaze became serious and malicious, and I felt a force of power like the wind flow from him, hitting and paralyzing me. Fear overtook my being as my entire body froze in front of him; I couldn't even breathe. His expression was unchanging as he stared deep into my eyes. I could tell he feel my fear for he lips upturned to that of a wry smile. But he continued to stare as if he was still searching for something within them.  
  
A few seconds later, Naraku quit his gaze in a pale sweat, and in a pant answered, "...As you are now."  
  
And with that I felt my body become limp and I fell to the ground unconscious.  
  
***  
  
+++Naraku+++  
  
Walking down the dim hallways, I could hear the muffled tears of the human named Jennifer. She was nearby; I could feel her spirit through the walls.  
  
The hypnotism I put on her wore off quicker than I thought it would. She hadn't aged enough to create the desired effect, so now I would have to use something else. Perhaps I was too weak at the time to properly set both the age-reversal and amnesia spell at the same time. Overestimating my magical capabilities? Not likely. I know I am capable of so much more...but just not right now.  
  
Because her amnesia wore off so quickly, did that mean the reverse- aging spell would too? So she will re-age much quicker. Hmm...that actually might be more beneficial to me than before.  
  
I grinned at the thought of my plan, the prophecy, being fulfilled. What sweet victory. I arrived at the door from where the tiny whimpers and sniffles were coming from. I pressed my ear to the door to make sure the room was the right one. Silly though it seemed, it was wise of me to take every precaution. I did not want to be embarrassed or ambushed. Even I didn't know what she was capable of.  
  
Only when I was certain that was really her in the room and not some hologram, I slid open the door.  
  
Ah, it was then that my eyes beheld the red-eyed, snot-nosed baby that somehow held the key of the world. The girl, startled at my appearance, looked up at me, her watery brown eyes clouded with emotion. Light from the candle in the room reflected off of her flushed, tear-stained cheeks. A dribble of snot threatened to fall from her nose. She looked so utterly sad and pathetic.  
  
In a feigned caring tone I asked her what was the matter. I half expected her eyes to tear up and for her to gasp with a frightful response, but surprisingly her eyes and voice held no fear—only anger.  
  
"Naraku! You vile monster! What have you done to me?!"  
  
Ah, so the woman truly has been revived within the girl. This will require a lot more work to subdue her consciousness again.  
  
"Whatever do you mean, small one?"  
  
"Me! This body! Just what do you have planned, you perverse pedophile?"  
  
Hearing such harsh language from so young a mouth made me want to laugh, but however much I wanted to come out with a large evil laugh, I restrained myself and maintained my façade of the oblivious, loving parent.  
  
"Poor Xiao3 gu1er2, you must be feeling feverish. Hao3 yi2han4. You do not know yourself."  
  
The other ironic thing was that I didn't give a damn about her state of being. She was only important so long as she was useful. As long as the prophecy was fulfilled with me on the receiving end, then the girl could live. But should the plan fail, then she cannot be left alive. If I could not have her, then no one could.  
  
Then she asked, "What is my true self?"  
  
That certainly was the question of the hour. My attempts at making her a soulless automaton had failed miserably. Not only did her soul endure, it was fighting back. Her true self, as she so aptly phrased it, was that remarkable soul—so full of fire and emotion. But this soul was not meant to be. This creature's body was for the sole purpose of—  
  
But...she is so...Hmmp! Was I actually feeling regret for what I was about to do? Impossible!  
  
Without another thought, I became affirmed in my decision and set the spell in motion. Temporarily stunning the girl from movement, I sent myself into her mind to find the Switch of Souls.  
  
Not a physical switch, mind you, but there is a small area of the brain that serves as a link between the personality of the human soul and the bodily functions. Severing this bridge between the two dimensions of mind will make her the developmental shell of a human I want her to be.  
  
This was my goal, so it was my search. Delving deep into her mind I felt rising fear and insecurities. Though I had no ability to read the girl's mind, as I searched for that all too important link of consciousness, I found a recent sadness with showed me the true depth of her soul.  
  
I had never known so many emotions could exist in one body. No only was there a wide spectrum of cunning and malicious natures, not unlike my own, but there were also a plethora of shades of sadness, joy, love, and embarrassment.  
  
This find only deterred me a moment as I soon found the Tie of Minds. All the information of her past, her present, her thoughts, her very soul was flowing through this inter-dimensional passage. Cutting, even blocking the flow would cut off the soul from the body forever, and she would be but a moldable teachable puppet—perfect for the use I have in mind for her.  
  
At the brink of success, I felt myself hesitate. Something within the swirls of emotion and spirit was preventing me from "pulling the plug". How could the mind of a single human be so strong? No matter, she was but a spirit, soon now to be disconnected.  
  
So long, my fiery dove.  
  
*SNAP*  
  
*static*  
  
~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*() _+~!@#$%^&*()_+  
  
A/N: Ah, finally finished. Two weeks ago I gave myself the goal of finishing and posting this chapter, but OBVIOUSLY that didn't happen.  
  
A quick note: A note on the Chinese toward the end of the chapter. Yes, that was not English, and I'm sure you don't know what it means. Not unless you were Clear Shadow, or some other cool person like that! (! But when Naraku calls Jennifer a "Xiao3 gu1er2", he is calling her a "little orphan" because that is how she was known to Prince Kagawaki's guards and the village. The next snippet of Chinese is in the same sentence: "Hao3 yi2han4. You do not know yourself." This is simply a popular Chinese phrase that means: "What a pity." If you haven't heard a true Chinese person say that, then chances are they aren't Chinese/been to China. Don't quote me on that...it's just that when I was in China, I heard that A LOT. I put these little Chinese plugs in the chapter because I don't know Japanese. I do not claim to know Japanese. Ok so maybe Jennifer in the story does, but that's because it's necessary...But I do know Chinese...or a lot of it anyway, and a lot of fanfiction writers use Japanese terms like 'kimono' or grammar stuff like 'hentai no baka' and the like without really knowing what it means or if it's in the correct usage. I don't mean to say that every fanfiction author who uses Japanese words to complement their stories are using them incorrectly, but I know I have, and my sister DOES know Japanese and she HATES it when people use Japanese without really knowing it. Okay, so stuff like youkai or hanyou, that stuff deals with the characters—in my book it's fine. But she's hammered me plenty of times about "trying to learn Japanese through fanfiction" and how bad it all is, so she's spread this passion onto me. So instead of fake-ly using Japanese like my sister hates, I might use some Chinese now and again, (if it serves the story) because I'm learning the language and no little to nothing about Japanese. Hope you weren't scared when you saw this HUGE 'blip' of an Author's Note...I know it's frighteningly long...but I thought I better tell you guys about it, before people start freaking out and putting the Chinese query in the reviews...Not that I don't mind...ANYWAY!  
  
Well, I don't want to violate the "no-chatting" rule ff.net has placed too much do we'll move on to the Q & A segment of this chapter's Author's Note.  
  
Dork In Training: No, Jennifer did not turn into Rin. I didn't even think of that, but Naraku just put Age-Reversal Spell on her. Why in the HFIL would he do that, you ask? ALL will be explained in the next chapter. Trust me.  
  
Gaeamaker13/c'est moi: WHOA!! That's a hella lot of reviews. Don't you think you went a little too far? But hey...I did get over 100 reviews...even if it was from only 3 people. ((good job, Haley! *wink, wink*))  
  
FranceGamble: I don't know how far the fic will get by mid-May. I'll try to get the next chapter out (the mega-explanation chapter) and maybe I can send you the basic plotline of the rest of the story. Yes, no... maybe? Would you like that?  
  
Okay, enough of that. I'm violating the rule, just don't report me and we'll all be good. (I know some of you do it too! *Points a blaming finger at DIT* You too, Vegetachanlover! All of YOU! I know your secrets!  
  
MUHWAHWAHWAHWA!  
  
Just Kidding folks! Please send a review!  
  
* 


	17. Chapter 15

  
  
**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from InuYasha**  
  
**Strange Interlude**

**Chapter 15  
**  
**!#$Jennifer%&()**  
  
Blackness. An echoing vast of emptiness. The void was full of nothing, so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Falling through the darkness I began to drown in its emptiness, suffocating in the void.  
  
There was no sound, nothing to see; I couldn't feel heat or cold nor could I breathe. I was drowning in the silence of the dark. Suspended and dizzy, I floated through the nothingness. Until...  
  
Until I saw a small glow of light and a pale human-shaped hand lash out in front of me. The hand shone brightly like rays from a full moon. My eyes squinted in the sudden brightness, but I could see the hand reaching for me. I was then filled with the sudden urge to grasp that hand. It was as if my life depended on at least touching its angelic grace.  
  
I saw my own hand reach for the glowing one. My own hand. Not the short, stubby five-year-old hand, but my own eighteen year-old one. I glanced down at my body, and it, too, was my own. I was back to normal. I was no longer that tiny girl, but my own self. But...my new body won't mean a thing if I were to die here.  
  
With renewed confidence, I looked back to the outstretched, clawed hand. Its aura shone with such brilliance that it intensified the darkness of the realm. As the seconds passed, I strained my arm out farther to try and touch the hand. I was suffocating, and the light-wrapped hand was the only that might be able to save me.  
  
With the rest of my waning strength I lunged out and finally touched the hand. When our fingertips touched, my empty body was filled with light. From this small amount of contact, the hand of light reached out and fully took mine. Our fingers entwined and my icy, numb body was suddenly warmed by the hand's comforting flesh. The light and warmth of the pale long-fingered hand lit my body and my vision became clearer. I could almost see to whom the saving hand belonged.  
  
Through the dark, I could almost see the piercing eyes, the impossibly long hair, the red, facial stripes, and the fur cloak. I knew this man in the flowing red and white robes, but from where? As my mind tried to wrap itself around the name, I began to feel extremely dizzy and light-headed. I felt as if I were about to faint. My vision blurred and my fingers and body fell numb. No matter how hard I tried to breathe, I always found that there was no air. Even the immense warmth emanating from the saving hand could not stop the growing cold of the darkness.  
  
My eyelids drooped and my fingers began to slip. My brain buzzed from the lack of oxygen. My insides felt like they were about to burst out into the emptiness. The excruciating pain of asphyxiation was taking hold of my mind—I could think of nothing else. My head was swirling, there was a huge lump in the back of my throat. I felt like screaming, but I couldn't. I was dying and all the while my grip on the gentle hand slackened more and more. It was not long before our fingers separated completely.  
  
After that, any hope left was gone. I was now free falling in the darkness, the once bright, angelic, hand now fading away like my vision.  
  
"Goodbye," I mouthed, since I had no air to speak.  
  
Then, as if the entire cosmos had been ripped open, a deep whisper echoed through the void, "No."  
  
My vision cleared and I saw the hand rush out for me once more. It shot toward me and snatched a hold of my wrist. But the man's grip did nothing to stop me from falling, and although his familiar light and warmth returned to my hollow body, I was still without air and was ready to pass out.  
  
"No," he repeated, violently yanking on my limp and lifeless wrist, trying to drag me out of the darkness. The hand moved faster and faster, pulling me higher and higher. The world of darkness rushed all around me, but I couldn't see a thing. My lungs ached and my head was heavy, but there was a something strange about the new light that seemed to outpour from the tightly grasping hand. It was hurried, it was rushed, but what was more was that it seemed to be taking in the darkness of the void, and spreading light out into it.  
  
The void's new light was collecting itself in front of us, forming a swirling glowing hole.  
  
_{A light at the end of the tunnel? Then I am dead.}_  
  
"No," the voice replied, softer than before.  
  
Pulling even faster, we arrived at the Great Light and I was engulfed in its whiteness. My entire body reveled in this new rapture as my lungs filled with delicious oxygen. In this light I was suspended in joy, and after regaining my breath, for the first time I gazed fully upon my savior. Like an angel, he stood, blinding me with his brilliance.  
  
"You must live," he spoke, embracing me with only one arm. He leaned down and whispered again in my ear, "You must live."  
  
"Nn," I responded in agreement, "I will...Sesshomaru."

**!#$%&()**

In the darkness of an empty room sat a man so evil that the mere mention of his name would send shudders down the backs of all those nearby. Also in that room was the still body of a five-year-old girl. In the dark silence the vile half-demon stared at this small corpse awaiting its revival.  
  
With a giant gasp and a bursting forth of re-consciousness, the child's eyes flashed open as her chest lurched forward. The demon Naraku's eyes widened eagerly. The girl's spasmodic body settled back to the bed and her soulless eyes closed.  
  
Naraku chuckled, _{No more than thirty minutes from now, my dream will be a reality.}_  
  
He spoke to the once-again limp body, "Little maiden, can you hear me?"  
  
**!#$Jennifer%&()**  
  
My world was dark again. I had been thrown from my white angel's embrace back into the darkness. Had I died after all? No...I was still breathing and I could feel the weight of my body under me. I tried to see if I could move my fingers, my arms, or my legs, but I found that I couldn't even open my eyes.  
  
But...I could hear a voice. The voice was calling for me, but it was not the deep, smooth voice of my guardian angel, this voice was cold and uncaring. Although I could hear this man's voice, I could not distinguish any words that were spoken. It was disgusting to listen to, but as the voice continued to sound through my head, it became louder and I found myself inevitably drawn to it.  
  
The louder the voice got, the more attune my senses became, until I could finally understand the man's words.  
  
"Little maiden, can you hear me?"  
  
I strained my senses and although I was still unable to open my eyes, I knew what was in the room. I could fell the futon under my body and the foul soul kneeling beside it. I dared not answer him, for I did not know what he would do.  
  
"I know you can hear me," he said. "Say something."  
  
I searched myself and sought to speak, but I could find no way to use my mouth. The man seemed to realize my plight and spoke, "Your body may not move, but you can still speak. In this state, your thoughts are as loud as words."  
  
_Wh-what do you mean? What's going on? Why can't I move my body?  
_  
"The body you inhabit is no longer your own. It is asleep and as the parasitic consciousness you have no control over that body's functions," _he said quite coolly.  
  
_ _What do you mean? 'Parasitic consciousness' then...then...that other person is the real me?_  
  
"Yes, the mind that matches your current body is the true you. You, right now, are a parasite of the littler you, but don't worry, this is only temporary."  
  
_But why am I here in the first place? Why am I in this little body? What are you planning to do? Are you some weird pedophile?  
_  
_He ignored my last statement,_ "Ah, you see. It is all part of the Great Prophecy. I need you, and in order for you to do as you're told, the age-reversal spell is wholly necessary."  
  
_Age reversal magic?  
_  
"Yes, by reverting you to your former self, your mind as well as your body became small and immature. The spell will wear off, and as it does you will 'grow up', so to speak, and your new matured mind will be shaped around what I have taught it, making you my pawn," _he said maniacally with a tinge of glee in his voice.  
_  
_Then...then why am I—I mean—my mind stuck in this body?  
_  
"Something happened during the setting of the spell. Your will was too strong to be totally controlled, causing the resurgence of your former consciousness. And so I set the final curse: ripping the soul away from your body."  
  
_Here he paused as if to add drama._  
  
_Clearly annoyed with my commentary, he continued_, "It is already too late, I have set the spell and nothing can be done to un-set it. Before long you will be dead—unable to think or breathe—in fact you will no longer exist. There is quite a time lapse between then and now, which explains your present state of being. You are now nothing but a parasite to this human, and a parasite must be exterminated.  
  
"But do not worry because that worm of a soul of yours will soon slither away from you and all will be better. And when that happens, your body will become no more than a shell of your former self and, like a puppet, will obey my every command, my eager tool."  
  
_Hearing him talk only wanted to make me laugh. This guy was high on similes and metaphors-- that was for sure. But...I couldn't help but feel frightened all the same. According to him, I'm...I'm going to die._  
  
"You are afraid...as well you should be. Your sarcasm and humor will do nothing for you here—I know your thoughts."  
  
_Then answer the question that I have been asking myself this entire time! Why am I here? Why go to all this trouble over a stupid human?  
_  
"You have use here in this place and era. It was no accident that you came to pass into this world.  
  
"Long ago there was an old Chinese oracle, infamous for her visions coming true, who prophesized that a human would come and bring onto this earth the World's King. A human with such a power as that is truly something to be desired. So, every power-seeking demon sought for the human from whose womb the domination of the Earth would come, and that year procured an unusually high number of hanyou births.  
  
"In fact," _he continued,_ "it was that year that Sesshomaru's half- brother InuYasha was born. Perhaps you've heard of him?"  
  
_InuYasha...InuYasha was born because of some prophecy? Wait. The prophet. A human. And the domination of the earth...  
  
_ "Surely, you've connected the pieces by now. That girl the oracle prophesized of is you."  
  
_But...that's impossible. How would you know something like that?  
_  
"Ah, you see. This is why so many of hanyou blood were born. Because every demon of prominent birth or otherwise went out and fucked every human wench they could find, all in hopes that she'd be the "special one" and should she be impregnated, pass on their genes to the prophesized ruler of the world.  
  
"But...all were unsuccessful. Too little information was given, and none born bore the Mark of Prophecy. Time passed, and the Prophecy was abandoned. Besides, at that time the Shikon Jewel had come back into circulation and the demons decided that it would be better to pursue what could actually be sought and achieved."  
  
_But you still haven't explained why that involves me!  
_  
"Your fall into this time was no accident. You ARE the girl of prophecy and the son you bear will rule this world!"  
  
_What? What!? This is ludicrous! There's no way that I'm—Was he insane? Had he lost what little mind he had?  
_  
"Watch what you say," he warned. "I can still hear you and I do hold your life in my hands. I can end your miserable existence any time I wish!"  
  
**!#$Flashback%&()  
**  
"I...don't understand...is it because I set you free that you can't kill me?" Jennifer stammered, her vision and voice fading from loss of blood.  
  
Sesshomaru scoffed in contempt, "Hmmp! I can dispose of you any time I wish...." He stood and looked away.  
  
"Lord Sesshomaru?" spoke the weakening human, "may I be so bold as to ask you a question?"  
  
This got his attention. He looked down upon the worthless child. She continued:  
  
"If you could've killed me then why didn't you?"  
  
**!#$EndFlashback%&()**  
  
_ A sudden realization dawned on me.  
  
But you won't kill me. You can't. You think that I'm that girl, so...so you'll keep me for the sole purpose of fulfilling this Prophecy in your name and blood, no matter how bothersome I am...and that means...Sesshomaru too._  
  
"Ah yes, that narcissistic spawn of the great dog demon. How annoying he was! He beat me to you by miscalculation on my part. That sly dog! I knew he was after the spoils of the famed Prophecy but I did not know he had found you.  
  
"He's been hiding you, but he was careless. Sesshomaru revealed your location to me when he took you to that last battle with InuYasha. I had long suspected that he had been keeping you when I visited his empty tomb. I am fortunate that he has not yet left his mark."  
  
_But could Sesshomaru really be that cold hearted? Is that really all I am to him? Just some girl of prophecy to impregnate? At least I'd be with Sesshomaru...But! Naraku has me now and that's who'd force himself on me.  
_  
_EEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!  
  
Gross! Mental spasm! Erasing thought now! Must preserve mental cleanliness!_  
  
"Get over yourself."  
  
_ Naraku was suddenly serious. All emotion had drained from his being._  
  
_Was he honestly so upset by my reaction? But who really cares? It is just Naraku!  
_  
"Enough! It's time now. Your soul is about to be scraped clean!"  
  
_Panicking, I prepared for the worse. I no longer wished for protection from my guardian angel, for I knew he was a fraud.  
  
It was more sudden and unexpected than I thought it would ever be. Like successive strikes of lightning, horrifying pain engulfed my entire being. Even the body I could not control jolted in the pain. My voice suddenly came back to me and let loose a scream that shook the entire room. The inside of my head burned and itched with the explosion of one thousand nuclear warheads.  
  
This was it. There was no tunnel, but I certainly was dying. I was being split in two. I had no choice—I couldn't hold on. My mind was slipping—I couldn't help it. I—  
_  
The room fell quiet and Naraku ginned, "Finally, we're getting somewhere."  
  
_**!#$%&()!#$%&()!#$%&()!#$%&()!#$%&()!#$%&()!#$%&()!#$%&()!#$%&()!#$%&()  
**_  
**A/N:** Aw...finally finished. That one took a really long time to type. But I had fun with it. Hope you all did too. And a quick note. If you aven't guessed by now: Italics are thoughts, **!#$WHOEVER%&()** are perspective switches, and/or changes in time and/or space. Damn QuickEdit won't allow plus signs......or asterisks....  
  
**Q&A:  
**  
**Dork In Training**: You asked, 'So what? Are you like the atomic bomb of the Feudal era, or something?' My answer: YES! YES I AM! MWHAHAHAHAHAHA! Well this chapter gives the real answer. But we aren't sure 'why' yet. Personally I think of my self as someone similar to the Wing Goddess in the Escaflowne™ movie. I have the power to either destroy or benefit the Feudal Era depending on how I'm used. (Gosh, that sounds so wrong!)  
  
**Resume A/N**: Hmm...that's all the questions...How about a...  
  
**Random Shoutout!  
**  
I've decided that after every chapter I'll give a Random Shoutout! to one of my reviewers. Yes, it will be random, but there may be some method behind who gets a shout-out. For example the person with the longest review might get a shout-out for this chapter...or maybe the reviewer that sounds the most like a valley girl in their review. It's gonna be random, but if you want your name featured in bright lights at the end of the chapter and maybe even an advertisement for one of your stories, then the only way to win would be to review!  
  
Yay! Reviewing! Doesn't that sound like fun? Try it out. It's free! And I enjoy criticism!  
  
Thank you very much and see you next time!  
  
**End A/N**. 


	18. Chapter 16

  
  
**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of InuYasha.  
  
Strange Interlude  
  
Chapter 16**  
  
We take a quick break now from the drama unfolding at the Naraku household and rewind just a little bit in time and space, back to Sesshomaru's cave. It had been two days since the disappearance of (the currently in jeopardy) Jennifer, and Sesshomaru was only just now returning. He had decided to give the poor human two days to clean the place. He felt pity towards the poor wretch.  
  
No, it couldn't have been pity. Sesshomaru merely knew that as a lower life form it would take the girl at least twice as long to actually complete half of what he asked. A creature that wears out that quickly is at least deserving of that.  
  
So now Sesshomaru returned to the cave, finding two things absolutely astonishing. One: That the walls, ceiling, and ground, dank and brown when he last he saw them, now were as bright and as white as marble.  
  
He walked forward to inspect the wall as Jaken tended to Ah-Un. "A complete change in substance," he muttered to himself, "surely this was not done by hand."  
  
He placed his large hand on the transformed stone and closed his painted eyes. The marble ran at least a meter deep. Whoever had done this had some impressive abilities. But the only one with access to the cave was the girl they kept in the fifth room. Which brought Sesshomaru to his second discovery.  
  
There was an eerie quietness in the cave. The girl was no longer there. Sesshomaru scowled and mentally reprimanded himself. He was a fool to have not noticed it earlier. Upon his return, she should have made herself known by coming out of the small fifth room, or if she was sleeping, Sesshomaru should've been able to hear her quiet breathing. But he heard nothing coming from her room or any other area of the cave. Where could she have gone?  
  
It was then that Jaken hobbled into the cave. "That irritating beast!" he complained. "Ah nearly bit my hand off. And that Un is no better! When I was grooming his left hind leg, he stomped on my foot! Maybe we should consider getting him fixed..."  
  
These oftentimes-hilarious antics of a tortured Jaken were completely ignored by the great demon lord. Instead he stared intently at the marbleized wall in front of him, contemplating his former question.  
  
{That girl...where could she have gone? I can find not even a trace of her scent in this cave.}  
  
Jaken then noticed his master seemingly in a staring contest with the wall. He inquired of him, "Sire, is something the matter?"  
  
Then, actually catching sight of the marbleized cave walls and stalactites, he let out a gasp, "Remarkable! When last we were here were not these walls a disgusting dull brown? Who could have done such a thing?"  
  
"Jaken," Sesshomaru spoke, ignoring his vassal's question, "have you noticed a certain scent in the air?"  
  
Jaken laid his staff against the wall and folded his arms into his sleeves. He inhaled deeply, reveling in the cool stench of the night air. He then seemed quite perplexed, for he could find no scent out of place.  
  
He answered his prince, "Why, no milord. I smell nothing."  
  
"What did you say, Jaken?" asked Sesshomaru, more intensely than before.  
  
"N-Nothing, milord," whimpered Jaken, fearful of his master's impending judgment.  
  
Sesshomaru turned to look at the quivering toad, slowly taking his hand from the marble wall, "Tell me, Jaken, who is it that lives here in this place, and whose stink you no longer can smell?"  
  
Jaken replied timidly, "T-the girl?"  
  
Sesshomaru said nothing, so Jaken sniffed the air to confirm his master's leading questions. Sure enough, he could not smell the annoying stench of the human they had kept.  
  
"Where is the wench, I wonder?" he asked, "Has she run away again?"  
  
He took the chance to pop a joke, "Good riddance, I say. How fortunate of us, that we are rid of her. I wonder...was the task given to her too great that she took to her death off the cliff? Ha! How rich!"  
  
But Sesshomaru did not laugh. He ignored the toad demon's comment, and instead walked slowly and deliberately out of the concealed cave. Deliberately because he dreaded the answer he might find out there on the mountainside.  
  
Sesshomaru thought on the manner in which he shielded his fortress, and ruled out the possibility of her disappearance as the work of another demon. Long before she had arrived the hologram preventing all unwanted eyes from seeing the cave and its adjacent plateau was placed. There was no way another soul could see through and penetrate the barrier.  
  
If she had run away, he would not worry because she would be easy enough to find. But it was Jaken's joke that got to him. If she had jumped or perhaps fallen off the cliff, she would surely have died. And if that were the case...it would be all over.  
  
Sesshomaru came to the end of the plateau and a rush of wind washed over him. How easy it would have been for the weak human to fall, but he wondered if the girl really was so stupid as to stand this close to the edge.  
  
He kneeled at the plateau's edge to peer down the cliff searching for anything, any clue, to allude to the girl's fate. The wind again rose up, rushing against the side of the mountain before reaching Sesshomaru's nose. His eyes widened as a previously unnoticed stench overwhelmed his senses. He felt stupid for not noticing it before.  
  
Playing to mitigate his doubts, Sesshomaru reached out with his only hand to rub at the immediate cliffside below him. Lifting that hand to the front of his face, he peered at the dusty, red-brown substance that now coated his fingertips. One sniff confirmed what had feared. The peculiar substance was dried human blood.  
  
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"Girl, come!" ordered the 'starving' Naraku. He was sitting in front of several empty dinner trays, anxiously awaiting his second course.  
  
In came the girl he had called. Decked out in a common child's work clothing and carrying a tray of redfish with a side of steamed sour celery, was a small girl no more than eight years of age. The tiny figure moved rigidly into the room. Her shoulder-length, brown hair bounced almost mechanically against her stiff and upright head. Her face was emotionless and still, her half-closed eyes nothing more than hollow brown orbs.  
  
She kneeled before the hungry lord and laid down the tray. She then stood and turned to leave.  
  
"Deng3 yi2 xia4," he called to her, "Wait, dear child. Come and eat with me." He pulled out a kneeling mat and beckoned her to sit.  
  
The girl immediately obeyed and went to kneel by the tray of food she had just set out. But she did not eat. It was all a formality anyway. He wasn't really about to share his food with her. But...he wasn't so heartless as to not leave some scraps for her afterward. She could eat when he was done.  
  
Mindless as the girl was, she knew her master's offer for what it was and did not reach for the extra set of chopsticks. She merely knelt beside him and stared at an insignificant point on the floor.  
  
Naraku ate and, in the midst of de-boning his second fish, looked up at the girl. It had only been three days and she had already aged this much. Every hour, every minute, she was growing up right before his eyes. But she was not really 'growing up'. It was the age reversal spell wearing off. The spell's effect was slowly wearing off, making it look like she was 'growing'. At this rate, she would soon reach sexual maturity and then...  
  
The idea filled him with great sensual pleasure. This was turning out quite nicely for him. He didn't have to do any work. The spell was undoing itself at a slow but steady pace, and because the girl no longer had a soul, she obeyed his every command, even the most trivial.  
  
Naraku finished his plate and laid down his chopsticks, "Now girl, you may take the tray and leave."  
  
The girl nodded, stood, and headed out of the room. The demon Naraku eyed her eagerly as she exited, possibly dreaming of the days to come.  
  
It was then, when the mindless cog left the room, that a sharp buzzing noise could be heard outside the window. Naraku looked over his shoulder at the shaded windows. With a smirk and a wave of his hand, the shutters flew open, and a giant bee-like insect flew into the room.  
  
Its buzzing echoed through the rooms and halls of Naraku's wing of the castle. The mindless girl was walking through the hall and heard the noise. But she did not a thing and continued soullessly into the room next to his.  
  
Naraku listened intently to the hell insect's tale. It had been on fieldwork in search of jewel shards. Even though Naraku had his 'Prophecy', he didn't mind the extra power he got from the shards. With every shard he got, his stamina and magic increased, allowing him new abilities. Should he complete the Shikon jewel, he would become invincible. And when the girl gave him a son, he would rule the world, without anyone able to stop him.  
  
So this bug had just returned from a village that had several jewel shards.  
  
"Then why do you not have them?" asked Naraku.  
  
The insect fluttered.  
  
"Guarded? Surely your swarm could take care of a few humans."  
  
The insect hovered over Naraku's left shoulder.  
  
"The famed village of demon-slayers...If so, then I am surprised you even made it in there. That place is where no demon should ever be." Naraku told him. Then he asked, "How many shards?"  
  
The bug flew higher.  
  
"Only two, then? Well, it would be a lot of work to get them, but at least then they would be well earned."  
  
It went higher still, and then settled down to Naraku's eye level.  
  
"Yes, the tribe of demon killers has made a lot of enemies. These demons by themselves can do nothing against the whole tribe of slayers. But if they were all to coincidentally attack the village at the same time...surely then they could be overcome."  
  
The hell insect buzzed madly.  
  
"Right..." he agreed. " If those demons were not strong enough to beat the slayers before, there would be no guarantee that they would pull together and defeat an entire village."  
  
It settled down.  
  
"In that case a diversion and a scapegoat will be needed."  
  
There was a sudden knock at the door and a voice that called, "Kagawaki? Son?"  
  
Naraku looked fiercely at the door and growled, "That fool is not supposed to come down here!" He turned to hiss at the bug, "Be gone!"  
  
It immediately fled out the window, and Naraku begrudgingly laid himself down on the futon and pretended to sleep. The door opened and in walked the elder lord of the castle. Unaware of his son's possession by the demon Naraku, the lord approached the bedside of Kagawaki's body. The lord gazed upon his son's pallid face and wondered when the boy would recover from his sickness. The lord wondered if a horrible demon had inflicted him because he had been sick for so long. He was unaware of how right he was.  
  
Naraku, constantly needing to take on a new body every time his old one wore out, found the young lord Kagawaki several months ago riding horseback toward the castle. Naraku knew of the young prince Kagawaki, his fame and riches. He knew that with a body like Kagawaki's he could use the castle as his base of operations for his future plans. Naraku dared not pass up an opportunity of taking Kagawaki's youthful and physically attractive body for his own uses, so he took possession of the prince. And to prevent the wearing out his fine new body, Naraku would often have to leave it and possess some other form temporarily. This left Kagawaki alive, but almost completely drained of life and without memory of his possession. Thus his chronic 'illness'.  
  
This was Kagawaki's situation now. Now that Naraku had fled, Kagawaki lay unconscious on the mat, breathing heavily.  
  
"My poor, sickly boy..." said the consoling father. "The demon that haunts you must be closer than ever. If only there was some way to rid you of the demon. That way you could attend court again."  
  
{Ah, now there in lies opportunity,} thought Naraku, floating bodiless above them.  
  
With that, the formless spirit repossessed Kagawaki's body. The boy let out a gasp and the father's worried brow became even more furrowed.  
  
"Son! Son!" he called.  
  
"Father! I...ah! It hurts!" gasped the pale-faced prince.  
  
The lord was astonished, "My boy! You wake from your fever? Please do not try anything too brash, son! Rest and regain your strength."  
  
Naraku smiled inwardly. How humans are so easily fooled!  
  
"Father! The demon...it hurts!" he shouted, straining to sit up on his elbows.  
  
"Oh son, conserve your energy! Lie down and rest!"  
  
"No. I must...say something," the boy responded.  
  
"Son, what is it?" the lord asked, helping his son into a sitting position.  
  
Naraku chuckled and with a sudden show of force, reached out and clutched the man's throat. The man cried out in pain as a strange aura ran up Naraku's arm and into the old man. He screamed as a new darkness overtook him and a strange spider-shaped scar appeared on his back, burning through his clothes.  
  
The jewel shards that Naraku had collected so far had allowed him to conjure up some of his spirit and break it off, and forcing that bit of soul into the man, he created a lower incarnation of himself. But this new demon was only a parasite—a shadow spider living off of the lord's lifeblood, and thus controlling his movements.  
  
Naraku removed his hand, and the new demon howled with appreciation of its new body. But looking up at its life giver filled him with a sudden hatred. He looked upon Naraku with malice and spite. He thought of all the years he has been locked away and buried within Naraku's being, only now released back to the Earth. That foul would-be demon. He would pay for his cruelty.  
  
"Don't even try it," the parent demon spoke. He opened his hand to reveal a small, pulsating lump of flesh. "In my hand, I hold your heart. Attack me and you will die."  
  
The fanged demon/human hybrid sneered, then quieted.  
  
Naraku spoke again, "As Kagawaki's father you will send soldiers to collect the strongest warriors from the village of demon slayers. Have the soldiers tell them that a horrid demon plagues the lord's land and son every night, and should the demon be disposed of, a handsome reward will be given. When they come I will have set a fake demon to distract them, and you can have your fun with the humans after that."  
  
"And what exactly makes you think I'll do this for you?" asked the demon, mocking the lord's airy tone.  
  
"Should you do this." replied Naraku, "I will return you your heart."  
  
The spider that inhabited the human lord smiled. What a lovely little trade. All he would have to do was spend a few days impersonating this man, followed by a bloody human massacre in exchange for his freedom. Seemed easy enough for him. When the incarnation accepted Naraku's deal, he did not realize his master's true intentions. Naraku would not so easily relinquish new flesh. No matter. The fool would find out soon enough.  
  
Suddenly there was a knock at the door to the room. Naraku eyed the incarnation viciously, and laid back down, pretending to sleep. The possessed man answered the knock, "Yes, what is it?"  
  
A random vassal peeked his head in, "Sir, I hate to disturb you, but you're needed in the front hall."  
  
The shadow demon turned his head and his puppet followed, "Fine. I'll be right there." He stared at Naraku's pale and sweaty face, and observed that he wasn't acting. The man demon really was ill. He smiled. {Perfect,} he thought. {When he returns my heart to me, I will kill him.}  
  
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**A/N:** We'll cut to the chase. This chapter's Random Shoutout goes to:  
  
Crow T R0bot!  
  
The decision was based on a combination of helpful comments and questions, plus he had an advertisement request! So be prepared for an entire Author's Note devoted to Crow T's review!  
  
Well, Crow T. pointed out that you don't have to capitalize the Y in InuYasha. So I ask, why don't you? Are you really only supposed to capitalize the name if you're talking about the show? Or are you not supposed to capitalize it at all? I have the InuYasha PSOne game and the title is capitalized, but the name inside the booklet isn't. I've also seen the name capitalized in magazines and such. If I'm really not supposed to capitalize the Y then I'll stop, but otherwise I'll keep 'em like I have 'em. My computer's set to change all Inuyasha to InuYasha anyway, so it would be a bother to change...But please tell me because I'd hate to be wrong.  
  
Yes, Jennifer in the story is based off of myself. I think it's about time I told you all the origin of this story, which I will divulge to you now. Strange Interlude started out as a dream. One night, approximately two years ago, I had a dream about falling down a well and waking up in a dark, windy forest. Discovering a strange statue, Sesshomaru came out of it and took me to a cave. I really don't remember the rest of the dream, but I felt compelled to turn it into a story, and thus there is Strange Interlude.  
  
And if you've ever wondered...the title Strange Interlude comes from a play written by Eugene O'Neil, so that title doesn't really belong to me either...But if you haven't read Eugene O'Neil, you should, especially "Long Day's Journey into Night". It's hella tight.  
  
About that line you (Crow T) mentioned...  
  
"Ah, you see. This is why so many of hanyou blood were born. Because every demon of prominent birth or otherwise went out and fucked every human wench they could find, all in hopes that she'd be the "special one" and should she be impregnated, pass on their genes to the prophesized ruler of the world."  
  
I agree it doesn't really sound Naraku-ish. I had trouble writing as Naraku, but when I wrote that line, I just didn't feel like messing with it. You gotta admit though. Despite its non-Naraku sound, it's a very cool line. Thanks for pointing it out! Maybe someday when I go back and revise some of the iffy chapters, that'll be one of the ones I fix.  
  
And about the gene-thing. Even though "genes" and "DNA" haven't been discovered, pretty much everyone could tell and understand that a child is a product of their father and mother. Characteristics such as hair color, freckles, height, and abilities (i.e. whistling) from either parent have be noticed to be passed on to offspring. This is what I meant by "genes". Not actual genetic code, but characteristics and such. Every demon from Inutaisho's time knows that the Prophecy foretells that the son of the girl will inherit the planet, so these demons rushed about impregnating humans for the reason that, if she was the one told of in the Prophecy, they could boast to other demons, "Look, the King of the World is my son.  
  
Next question: Will we see Kenji again? YES!! In fact, he's a major part of Chapter 20 or 21. Glad you haven't forgotten about him. He's important to know. If some of you readers are like, "Huh? Who's Kenji?" Go back and re-read Chapters 2-5.  
  
Thank you for offering some boy names. Got any good girl names? Thanks again.  
  
**NOW:  
**  
**EVERYONE GO READ Crow T R0bot's FANFIC "Final Fantasy 13" (actually title in roman numerals). If you have played any Final Fantasy game, you'll like this story. It combines a whole bunch stuff you've come to love from the FF series and has some really cool characters. Again if you love Final Fantasy, check this story out. It's called "Final Fantasy 13" and is written by Crow T R0bot, the winner of last chapter's  
  
RANDOM SHOUTOUT!**  
  
Want to get an entire Author's Note dedicated to you? It's simple! Click that button and review now!  
  



	19. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of InuYasha. But Jennifer is owned by me.... Spluh!

Strange Interlude

Chapter Seventeen

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Days passed and evidence that there ever was a human in the cave had all but disappeared. The grimy rock seeped back through to replace the marble, the fifth room was closed off and locked, the bags of food in the front room were gotten rid of, and life for Sesshomaru and Jaken returned to "normal".

But...it wasn't normal, Sesshomaru soon discovered. The death of the human girl was so sudden. There was no grieving, no acknowledgement of her disappearance between the two of them, just a return to normalcy. The two of them carried on as if she had never existed, and this is what made the situation abnormal.

Sesshomaru could not forget about her, no matter how hard he wanted to. Something about her death did not seem real. The blood on the rock was hers, and the smell in the wind was of her, but there was something else among the smells of blood and fear, something he couldn't quite place. That day, when he had discovered her blood, he had also searched the area for her aura, or really, any active ki of the forest. If she had fallen and was still alive, Sesshomaru should have been able to sense her life force, but the strange thing was that he found none.

He could sense no active ki, human, demon, or otherwise for miles around. Even the trees seemed dead and dreary. If the girl had died, there would have been a corpse, which was also missing. Had it been eaten, then surely Sesshomaru would have smelled traces of the scavenger's scent.

But...the entire area was barren of active energy. And as Sesshomaru thought on this, he could come across only one reason as to her disappearance. She had, in fact, been taken. This was the only viable reason. But by whom, he wondered. And how could that demon have invaded Sesshomaru's space, stolen the girl, and escaped without leaving a scent?

And then Sesshomaru remembered something he had overlooked. On that night Sesshomaru had received the human arm and hell insects from the demon Naraku something he couldn't quite determine was lingering in the air. It was the same smell as the hell insects themselves—a thin, barely detectable poison. A poison that spread through the air so quickly that it had surrounded him, as if watching him. This was the odd sense of nothing Sesshomaru had smelled around the mountain. This stench, so slight that to Sesshomaru it was annoying, was of Naraku, whom Sesshomaru also knew as Basoni, the shape shifter who had trapped him in stone.

One would think that once discovering the identity of the strange foreign girl's abductor, Sesshomaru would become enraged and charge after the malcontent, but learning of her captor only took the girl's abduction off his mind. He instead focused on how the ignoble demon could have gotten past Sesshomaru's barrier and why he would steal the girl in the first place.

Sesshomaru pretended he didn't care. Sesshomaru pretended he didn't know. But the truth was that he did. He knew why Naraku sought the girl. It was because of that ridiculous prophecy. That power-mad fool. Naraku would go to great lengths to increase his own strength, even fight over that age-old prophecy with a demon of noble birth and three times his age.

Sesshomaru knew this. He knew what she was worth, and he let Naraku take her. The reasons above were enough to support his inaction. Sesshomaru was the nobler demon. If Naraku needed her so badly, then why not let him have her? Why squabble with the fool in this petty demon's race?

His father believed it. Did that make him petty? No. At first the Prophecy was thought to be true. His father was trying to achieve what was thought to be real. The thing that made his father weak was his love for the human whore. Sesshomaru would never lower himself to that level.

But why then did Sesshomaru keep the girl? The answer always eluded him. That he had even found her was completely by coincidence. She had set him free from Basoni's entrapment. But this was not what made her the one spoken of in the Prophecy, which is why he did not take her then. Not to say he actually ever believed in that load of crock.

The prophecy was thought of as true up until the Shikon Jewel had resurfaced and was handed to the human priestess, Kikyo. Then the 100-year-old Prophecy thousands of demons had tried to fulfill was forgotten. All forgot the "hallowed words" of the seer, and a new hunt for power began. But Sesshomaru could not forget as easily as the rest could. Because of the Prophecy, he had a brother. And not only that, but he had a hanyou brother. Sesshomaru felt that because of this he and his family were forever shamed.

It was for this reason that Sesshomaru swore hatred against his younger brother and swore to kill him. He saw this as the only way to lift his father's shame. But then his father had the two swords, Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga forged, making it so that Sesshomaru could not carry out his pledge. Soon after, his father died, sealing himself and the great sword Tetsusaiga the young InuYasha's eye and away from Sesshomaru's reach. Sesshomaru, as heir, received his father's Western Lands and the Sword of Healing, Tenseiga. The half-brother and his human mother were driven out from the lands, and life went on.

Many years later, while Sesshomaru was traversing his wide expanse of territory, he experienced something he could never forget. The Prophecy Sesshomaru had despised for so long was revealed to him as his birthright. This happened one day while traveling along an old forgotten road. The path led him deep into the forest to a small, grassy clearing. Sitting along the roadside was a cracked and weathered tomb. The name scrawled into the stone was that of Wei Zhen, the oracle responsible for the Prophecy and his brother's birth. Although she had been born in China, the oracle lived and died in Japan. How strange that Sesshomaru, sworn enemy of her words would find her disregarded grave.

Sesshomaru, once having found the woman's tomb, felt so reviled that he spat upon it. How dare her presence, even in death, disturb his walk!

The moment this thought was uttered, a great wind blew up, and the wispy vision of the dead woman appeared before him.

"I should have known that the son of the Great Dog Demon would resent me," she said to him.

"Return to your eternal sleep, wretched woman. Your blasted prophecy has tormented me enough to last the rest of my life."

"You speak of your brother then?" she replied.

"That foul halfling is not my brother!" spat the temperamental young lord.

But she continued to speak, "The birth of your half-brother is the least of what my prophecy has done to you."

Sesshomaru glared at the smoky phantom in front of him.

"Like it or not," she continued, "You are inevitably linked to your brother and the Prophecy."

Sesshomaru glowered. Even in death she would not quit her evangelizing. He turned away from the ancient apparition.

"Sesshomaru," she began, "do you not even wish to know your destiny?"

Sesshomaru did not stop walking.

In increased volume, she told the demon lord's retreating figure, "You will kill him, you know...the one you despise so much."

It was this that caused Sesshomaru to stop. What foolery would she speak of next?

She continued, "And you'll use her to do it."

Sesshomaru scoffed and started walking down the road again. _"Not another word on the Prophecy, wretch,"_ he cursed her.

"Pity," she spoke, "You would be the one to fulfill it."

He thought, Will not this tireless old bat pass on?

As Sesshomaru continued down the road away from the old shrine and restless spirit, the air grew colder, and as soon Sesshomaru came to the realization of this change, all time seemed to stop. An icy sensation filled his entire being as the frail form of the woman's ghost filtered into his mind. In his mind's eye he saw the ghost's face, while old and wrinkled, it also appeared supple and glowing.

"You will meet her, you know, whether you like it or not. But what you do of it is up to you. The children of her womb hold a special gift. They will change the world..."

As she spoke to him, flashes and tangled images of a child's face, spurts of blood, and laughter rising through ash and smoke flooded his vision.

"...You can fulfill the prophecy and kill your brother, if that's what you desire, or spend countless years finding some other way."

The ghost appeared to him once more. Her stern, aged face suddenly morphed to a younger, brighter one. Her heavy gray eyes blinked and revealed new browner ones. The oracle's pale skin turned fresh and freckled. Her grayed hair once pulled into a tight bun fell loose around her face, turning black and wavy.

In a new voice the apparition spoke, "She's yours if you choose. Do not run from destiny."

Sesshomaru woke from his lapse and turned to look down the path behind him. The oracle's gravesite, several yards behind him, sat dusty and cracked. The sunlight shone through the trees and a small black butterfly flitted around the stone.

A single bead of sweat formed at Sesshomaru's temple, "Sesshomaru doesn't run from anything."

And with that, he turned away, back home to the west.

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That was so long ago. It's a wonder Sesshomaru hadn't remembered the encounter earlier. If the girl really was of the 'Prophecy' as that dead Chinese woman had said, then she was his to do with whatever he pleased. So what if he was to leave her to the fool demon Naraku? Clearly Naraku needed the power she might give him while Sesshomaru did not. Or, at least that is what he told himself

But...

There was something Sesshomaru couldn't let go. There was something he felt he owed to the thief. A revenge for all the tricks Naraku has played. Naraku's first treachery was on that cold night fifty years ago when Sesshomaru was set in stone. The demon went by Basoni back then. And then a second time, much more recently, Sesshomaru was tricked by Naraku when he was given the jewel-poisoned human arm.

This third trap would be his last. Even though Sesshomaru would lose nothing by the absence of the human girl, he could not let Naraku think he had won against him a third time. Now he would settle the score.

"_A petty demon's race? No. It isn't about prophecy or destiny anymore. It is about pride and putting that upstart demon back in his place."_

And so Sesshomaru decided to leave the comforts of his dreary cave and take back what was so easily stolen from him.

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A/N: After many a month, a new chapter of SI comes out. Summer has come and gone, and I have done less than I thought I would. I'm going to have one busy fall and winter. But no worries. An update at least once a month can be expected. I'm getting up to the big second quarter of the story I've already written, (It just needs typing.) so there'll be less of a creative strain on my brain. Hee, hee that rhymes!

Well, it's after midnight, so time for me to watch some Great Detective Conan AKA Case Closed and turn in. Happy August to all and to all a good night!


	20. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha.**

**Strange Interlude**

**Chapter 18**

In the palling light of the sun was the silhouette of a dauntingly tall figure standing on the highest point of a mountain. The figure's hair, pelt, and sleeves flew gently in the breeze. The orange tint the sun gave the silhouette made him look regal, as if he was basking in the sun's last glow without a care in the world. But as they say, appearances can be deceiving. The tall and noble being was not standing on the zenith of his mountain home only for the pleasure of viewing the sunset. He stood, taking in the evening air, searching for a scent to follow that would lead him to the whereabouts of a demon that had taken something of great importance to him.

This silhouette was none other than Sesshomaru, first son of the Great Dog demon, and the evil he sought was Naraku. So, Sesshomaru searched. Sifting through the smells, old and new, he searched for any scent of the presence of that amalgamated demon. Naraku, half-human though he was, was a master of disguise and camouflage. The poisonous aura he was so famous for had spread so quickly through the air that the scent was almost untraceable, however it was definitely present around the mountain. But from where the scent had come from or in which direction it had traveled with the girl was still a mystery to him.

But as Naraku was no ordinary half-human, Sesshomaru was no ordinary demon. Sesshomaru's canine senses could detect even the slightest subtlety in the change of Naraku's scent. With only an increase of his mental concentration could Sesshomaru differentiate the origin of the smell of Naraku.

But this tiny concentration of miasma, he found to the north was different some how—almost as if it wasn't completely Naraku. What was this almost bird-like scent? .

He set out from the mountain toward the north, the direction of this almost Naraku. Perhaps to the north he would find what he sought. The countryside below him passed in a blur. So quickly he traveled when he was angered. Miles passed in seconds. As he went, the miniscule concentrations of miasma grew larger. The farther north he went, the stronger the smell became. This happened until he came down out of the mountains, to the human-inhabited forests, where he found the smell its strongest—the rice fields of single human village.

"Was it here that the villain had set forth from?" Sesshomaru thought. The village seemed no different than any other human town. A rather unorthodox place for the hideout of a shape-shifting demon.

Perhaps...because the village was so like the others, it was the perfect place to hide. Of course...the demon Naraku, being part human himself, would blend in marvelously amongst these humans. But this still did not explain the smell of bird around Naraku's scent or the absence of the scent of dried blood. Sesshomaru scavenged the air for clues. Why did this place only have this one thick spot of miasma, while the village itself did not? His only answer was to follow the scent until he came across Naraku himself.

Sesshomaru took a second to re-orient himself, locked on to the path of Naraku's smell, and like a bolt of lightening raced off toward the northern horizon.

------

Meanwhile, far from Sesshomaru's Western Lands, inside a dreary castle enclosed by mist, laid a pale, frail body of a young man in restive sleep. The man, known by Kagawaki to the humans, and Naraku to those who knew him as he truly was, was thinking on the last few days' events. A messenger from the castle had set out only a week ago for the Village of the demon slayers. The incarnation Naraku had sent to possess Kagawaki's father was controlling the affairs of the castle, but hadn't been doing very well. The amateur demon did not take kindly to humans, and had threatened Naraku on numerous occasions, so Naraku was plotting to dispose of him.

His chance arrived just the other day, when the demon slayers arrived. Naraku's complex plot to divert the demon-slayers away from their village in order to steal its jewel shards went into action. Naraku naturally employed puppet sorcery to obtain the shards instead of going himself and leaving his room and his real prize, the One of Prophecy. All went according to plan, and the demon managed to take the shards, destroy the slayers' village, kill his incarnation, and utilize a revenge-seeking slayer against the "perpetrator" of the destruction of her village: InuYasha.

Although the female slayer had failed in her mission to destroy InuYasha, Naraku had found a hefty consolation prize in her half-dead brother. The boy now lay recovering in the cellar of the castle. As soon as all but his back injury healed, Naraku would put him to good use.

But now, all Naraku had to do was relax and wait. But he found it very hard to do so. Naraku had become very anxious, for many reasons. Maybe it was because the kidnapped girl would soon be full grown, or maybe because soon his other human would be ready to fight for him. But the biggest reason for Naraku's inability to sleep was that, Kagawaki's body was dying. It would soon give out on him, unable to hold Naraku and the massive amount of other demon parts within it for mush longer. Naraku would have to dispose of the body, but was waiting for the utmost last second before doing so. He believed in utilizing what he had until he could exploit it no longer, but his prideful thriftiness was taking a grave toll on him.

Luckily for him, Naraku had the perfect servant to care for him. The stolen human girl obeyed Naraku's every command and hardly left his side. He had watched her grow older with every passing day. In one week she had doubled in years, and he expected that one more would bring her to her original age.

How wondrous it was that Naraku had stolen and kept her without any repercussions. It seemed that her owner had forgotten her. He chuckled and looked toward the girl who knelt beside him. It was all too easy.

At that instant there a thunk and a great buzzing sound outside the room's window.

"Not another one," muttered Naraku as he pulled his feeble body to its elbows.

"Get the window," he ordered the girl.

She stood and followed orders.

A different, much smaller hell insect flew in. Naraku uttered a pained groan and managed to stand. He slowly moved to the center of the room and fell/sat on the mat there.

"What!" he exclaimed, his eyes narrowing and his brow furrowing as the insect told him its tale. "Is he actually coming to retrieve the girl?" Naraku murmured to himself.

The insect proceeded to buzz the story while that soulless servant knelt back down on the floor mat by Naraku's bedding. She stared blankly at his tousled sheets, no though crossing her mind.

"I suppose we must set up reinforcements..."spoke Naraku.

Then he thought, _"I had desired to leave Kagawaki's body tonight and create my own, but if he is soon to arrive, I cannot leave. If I were to leave, that beast would very easily take back the child. Even with all the barriers and shields I have erected that _noble_ demon would find his way in. And what's more...I, myself, am without enough strength to use any sorcery to my defense, nor could any of those worthless humans do anything."_

This frustrated Naraku much. What could he do? He searched the room as well as his mind for possible solutions.

His eyes came to rest on the human girl whose soul he had stolen. A sly smile crossed his face, _"Oh, yes. How would he react when it was she that he fought?"_

The hell insect continued to float about the room. It thought it very strange that Naraku was so calm about the whole ordeal. What was he smiling about? Why was he staring at that girl that way? Why was she so important anyway? That way he looks at her...if it didn't know any better it'd think that Naraku lo—

Naraku sharply turned and snatched the bug from the air, crushing it in his hand. Opening his hand revealed the crumpled body of the saimyosho. He smiled in delight as it then melted into his flesh.

Naraku then stood with a renewed, even if temporary, confidence and crossed the room back to the girl. She did not look up; she did not react. Naraku reached out with his right hand and laid it on her curly head. He let his fingers slide through her silky, black hair until he was longer touching her scalp. Then, with sudden force, he tore out her hair.

The girl still said nothing. Even though she now sported a new bald spot on the side of her head, the expression of her face was unchanging.

Naraku turned and sat down on his futon, and began the arduous task of cutting golems. Within minutes he had procured several, very crude, wooden dolls.

"It won't be long before Sesshomaru arrives," he muttered.

At the mention of his name, Jennifer's head turned slightly. Perhaps she remembered...

------

**A/N: I'm so tired of my floppy disks. They are ruining my update schedule. As you all may know, my family quit their internet service to get Cox High-speed Internet. SO, we decided we might as well get a new computer. Well, we got the computer, and the internet, but the new computer only accepts jumpdrives and not floppies. I usually type my chapters in the comfort of my own bedroom and then transfer the document to the internet computer via floppy. BUT NOW I'VE AN OBSOLEETE METHOD OF TRANSFERANCE! Le sigh. I tried taking my floppy to the library and updating there, but the computers are stupid and slow. I tried updating at school, but now there's a bug on my floppy. Curses!!! After many attempts at recovery and repair, I have managed to recover half of the document. So, I have spent this lovely Oct 2nd, Saturday morning re-typing the chapter. So now it is arrived. Chapter 18 is posted. I meant to update September twenty-something, but as you can tell, it didn't work out. Well, now I may have to transfer my mega-copy of the entirety of Strange Interlude to the new computer, but again...no jumpdrive. Grr...I guess I'll have to wait. It'll be at least fifty years before I'll get another computer in my room. But don't worry. I'll still try to update once a month. I'm still writing chapter 20---it's the super long climax to the Naraku arc. So give me some more time. It'll get easier after twenty. Only rewrites after that until about 30...**

**Anyway...please review!**


	21. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha do not belong to me.**

**Strange Interlude**

**Chapter 19**

"_Ah...yes...here it is. The miasma is overpowering now. Foolish half demon," _thought Sesshomaru, _"He thinks he could fool me with the dilution technique. It almost worked, but he left too many clues. Naraku did not anticipate anyone seeing through his secrecy. Sneaking in and out of the Western Lands by hiding among the human villages, expecting that I would not dare look there. It was in those places that he left his tell, the signs of his undoing. His aura clung too thickly to those places. In the human village it seemed that Naraku had not yet learned scent dilution, which must mean that he has learned it just recently._

"_Perhaps the bird held the clue. The smell around the mountain was definitely that of Naraku......unless it was not he, but a puppet. But that smell of bird..."_ he wondered, _"...perhaps not a puppet, but an incarnation..."_

Sesshomaru nodded. He now understood Naraku's plan. He must have acquired a jewel shard from the village of old smells and set the demon from there.

"_What a foul manner of trickery,"_ he thought. _"But...the addition of one jewel shard should not have increased his power by that much...his avian incarnation, if it was one, should have been very weak. And if my deduction were true, then how could it have pierced that hologram and stolen the girl? A weak, false demon like that, even she could not be taken..."_

But no, he was giving her more credit than she deserved. Any demon with enough brains could make off with a human girl of that age...

Sesshomaru then arrived to his destination. The elusive stronghold of the Castle Naraku stood before him shrouded in the evening fog. There were two humans guarding the high gate to the mansion. On this cold autumn night, the two stood in a frigid silence, not taking notice of the man in white.

Sesshomaru walked forward, coming through the dense fog toward the human watchmen.

"Halt! Who goes there?" shouted one of them, tensing his shoulders and tightening his grasp on the spear in his hands.

Sesshomaru continued to walk forward. The large guard stepped forward and threatened Sesshomaru's continuation with his spear.

"I said 'HALT'!" he shouted.

Sesshomaru stopped. One razor-sharp glance of Sesshomaru's piercing amber eyes caused the human to shiver.

"I mean it!" he shouted, "This castle houses our sick, young lord; he cannot be disturbed."

The towering demon lord rolled his eyes and with one light push, knocked over the beefy watchman with relative ease.

The other, much smaller guard faltered. He looked as if he was struggling within himself whether to take on the demon or run to the aid of his friend. Sesshomaru shot another piercing glance as if asking the human, "You dare to get in my way as well?"

The small man swallowed the lump in his throat and dropped his weapon, rushing to the slumped form of his colleague. Sesshomaru merely walked on. He had no time for these human disturbances. As he stepped foot into the mansion's exterior courtyard, Sesshomaru noticed a thickening of the faint smog hanging in the air. At once the dog demon's nose recognized the purple haze as Naraku's trademark miasma. Although this miasma contained numerous airborne poisons, Sesshomaru could not feel their venomous attacks against his lungs. A smaller demon or human probably would have crumpled to the ground in the vapors, but not he.

Which reminded him. If the kidnapped girl were truly here, then surely she would be suffering in the poison. This thought alarmed Sesshomaru so much that he allowed his left eyebrow to twitch in concern.

Sesshomaru broke into a sprint through the many gates of Naraku's venerated castle. As expected, the part-demon had more human guards in order to slow Sesshomaru's pursuit. The heavily armored warriors charged out of the doors toward the white demon. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed and his temper rose. He continued to run, slicing through the legions of heavily breathing humans, ending any hope of their continued life by decapitating them with his light whip.

But still more came. Fifty, one hundred more flooded the multiple courtyards, but Sesshomaru easily struck them down. So easily perhaps because Naraku's miasma had slowly eaten away at the health of their respiratory systems, but was most likely because no one could match Sesshomaru's speed or strength.

Having ended the lives of a few more hapless humans, Sesshomaru approached the castle's sliding front doors and opened them. The halls were eerily quiet. Naraku's fog hung thick in the air and Sesshomaru found it more and more difficult to maintain his slow and deliberate breaths. He moved slowly through the dim hallways straining his senses for any sign of the girl he sought.

Sesshomaru heard his own footsteps echo through the halls. It appeared as if he were the only one in the entire castle. Had they already fled? The only time Naraku could have has the chance to flee this dark and lonely castle was when Sesshomaru had been dealing the "human disturbances".

Idiot. Those dying humans were not protection; they were a diversion. Why else would he send them? Naraku, even with all his foolery, surely knew the overwhelming strength of his adversary. But Sesshomaru often was too full of himself, as he then remembered that Naraku could not be so much a fool to be able to steal from the regal and proud lord. Just as this thought crossed Sesshomaru's mind, a child's playful laugh broke the mansion's silence.

Sesshomaru snapped his head in the direction of the sound. He saw a small shadow dance against the wall and move quickly around the corner. Sesshomaru in pure curiosity turned toward the foggy foyer of skipping shadows, and began to walk down it. He could not feel any malicious air about the shadow; in fact, there was a strange familiarity to the little child's laugh.

Turning the corner, he spotted the person to whom the shadow belonged dart around another bend, giggling all the way.

Sesshomaru followed the figure around the next corner into a new hall. At the end of the hall stood the little child. Several lamps stood in this hall and shone their flickering light on the child's back. Sesshomaru tilted his head in order to peer at the strange girl. With a whirl, she turned to face him and he gazed fully upon her face. Immediately he noticed her brown eyes, bright and sunny. He noticed their roundness and the also roundness of her face. The rare curls she sported hung neatly along the side of her freckled face. Even the little dress she wore was strange. Small finger-width straps held the bright pink knee-length dress, white lilies adorning the skirt—something Sesshomaru had never seen. The girl was foreign—not of this land. Who was this girl that Naraku had? What plan had he for this child whose smile stretched wider than that of a normal human?

After a few moments' silence she spoke, "Isn't it a pretty day, uncle?"

But Sesshomaru did not understand her words; it was as if she spoke in a different tongue.

"Sorry, but I got the dress you gave me a little dirty when I was playing." She lifted the grass-stained hem of her dress up to show him, revealing to him her little strawberry-adorned panties.

A few more seconds passed and after receiving no response at all from her 'uncle' she lowered her skirt and pouted.

"But I don't want to go inside," she said stamping her feet and balling her hands into fists.

Sesshomaru peered down at the little girl. Something about her eyes...

"I'm not coming," she shouted defiantly, folding her arms across her chest and turning away from Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru, unusually curious about the little child, knelt down and lightly grabbed her chin, lifting it towards him. The girl slightly opened one of her eyes to return her uncle's stare. In that one brown eye, Sesshomaru a glimpse of the hollow emptiness within her. The round eye was empty. This being was not real.

In the one second he had inspected the child's face, the girl had shut her eye and tossed her head out of Sesshomaru's grasp, returning to her pouting stance.

"What are you?" Sesshomaru asked, actually speaking to the creature for the first time.

"I'm a 'who', not a 'what', stupid!" she said suddenly, again turning away.

The first sentence of hers he understood and this little ghost (for lack of knowing what she truly was) had the gall to insult him. He raised his hand to strike her and she immediately flinched, pulling her arms in front of her face.

"No! Don't hurt me!" she exclaimed, returning to the unknown language. Sesshomaru raised a questioning eyebrow at the strange being and slowly lowered his arm. He lightly shook his head. Best to continue on his way and leave this curious thing be. He stood and thought of where Naraku could hide. The sobbing girl stopped in order to watch the beautiful man turn around the corner into the next hall.

The girl's frustrated eyes softened to that of extreme sad and loneliness.

"That's okay," she murmured quietly, "no one ever really pays attention to me anyway."

And with that, the child's figure became translucent. An invisible wind rose up and blew her form away, letting the crudely craved wooden golem to drop to the floor. Wrapped around it was a single strand of twisted black hair. Then, the golem, much like the girl, became dust and blew away.

/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/---/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/--/

**A/N: Ah, another chapter for my much deserving audience.**

**Fully consisting of four people.**

**Yes...only four...**

**Le sigh...Where have all my old reviewers gone? France is in the military. Where are my great friends whitewings, Oh My Blush!, and Sharpsnout?**

**Sniff...**

**Thank you so much Kimiki and Kiara32. I love you both muy hen3 duo1 (more Chinglish/Spanglish) . You two should read each other's fics. Both of you all are great friends and authors. And any other non-reviewing wandering eye should read them too.**

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	22. Chapter 20a

**Disclaimer: IY iz knot myne. Me two dum too ohn grate shoh IY.**

**Warning: The rating for this fic has gone up to R: Restricted, due to the brief nudity, and blood in Chapters 20a and 20b. Be advised.**

**Strange Interlude**

**Chapter 20a**

Sesshomaru continued down the dark and lonely halls of the large mansion, searching for the foul demon Naraku. He feared that Naraku had sent a battalion of human soldiers to slow Sesshomaru. Of course, Sesshomaru barreled through the humans easily enough, but it was the second level of Naraku's security force that had disturbed him. The little human without a soul. Obviously she was not mortal, but Sesshomaru's curiosity lay with the use Naraku had of her. Did he consider the little thing a weapon, meant to harm him, son of the Great Dog General? Why would Naraku employ such a puppet against him?

So Sesshomaru wandered the halls, very aware of his surroundings and on the lookout for enemy ki. His search led him to the end of on the better-lit hallways. At the end of this particular hall were two doors—one directly in front of him and one to the left. The large door in front of him had dark aspen siding and thick, expensive paper. The door on the left was smaller, constructed of cheap wooden siding, stained dark to match the other, also made of the cheaper, much more common, door paper.

It was a test. His decision would probably lead him to or away from Naraku. So which would lead him to Naraku? And which would trap him in this maze of a place? Sesshomaru reached out, letting his hand hover over the smaller, less aesthetically pleasing door on the left. The aura that emanated from inside the room was faint, but definitely malicious in nature. Was this the trap Naraku had left for him?

Sesshomaru withdrew his head and after a second's thought reached for the fancier door. From this one he felt a similar, but much smaller aura.

"A child?" thought he.

Listening closely to the contents of the room, Sesshomaru could hear the uneven breathing of a small child. Occasionally its breath would quit and it let out a slight hiccup. Was he crying? What use does Naraku have with these children, locking them in his castle?

Sesshomaru rested his hand on the door and effortlessly slid it open. A pitch-black room lay behind the decorative door. His action caused the breathing to cease. After sliding the door into its fully open and locked position, Sesshomaru took his first step from the fully lanterned hall to the cavernous black room. With light streaming into the dark room from the hall, Sesshomaru could now see the outline of a low kotatsu table in the room's center. After scanning the room, he felt that the child's ki was nowhere to be found.

The room, like the rest of the house, was eerily quiet. Last time the mansion's eerie calm was interrupted by the mysterious phantom child. Surely Naraku had something similar planned for him.

Sesshomaru knew to keep his wits about him. Right now his eyes were focused on that out of place low table. Out of place because the rest of the room was set up as a parlor/ guest room. Sesshomaru took in the scent of the room, noticing the odd chill that had befallen it since his entrance. He flinched as suddenly he felt a strange muscle contraction in his left leg. Sesshomaru turned his gaze downward to find a furry headed human wrapped tightly around his leg. Sesshomaru could only stare. Was this to which the child-like aura belonged?

"Thanks you! Thanks you, sir!" her voice cried in imperfect grammar. Her tiny hands clinched tightly onto his pants. She shook her head and rubbed her face on the cloth of his leg, spreading the tears onto the noble's fine clothing.

Sesshomaru growled at this inconvenience, but was more concerned with this second little girl. Was she not the same as the one in the hall?

The girl continued to cry, "It was so scary! Sir saved one from darkness."

Sesshomaru's unusual curiosity quelled his impulse to dispose of the sobbing young wench. In interest he peered down at her, and lightly touching her little shoulder knelt down to peer more closely at her face. The child sniffled and dried her eyes, turning her large round eyes toward the stern face of her supposed savior.

Sesshomaru was compelled even further to notice that the face he saw was exactly that of the ghost of the foreign girl, although some differences did exist. This ghost was older, if only a year or so, and the cute shoulder-length curls the other ghost had were gone on this one. Her hair was singed—uneven and short. But her eyes, her freckles and face were the same.

"What is this?" Sesshomaru pondered aloud, not particularly to anyone.

The girl's eyes were welling up again, "This one was supposed to guard to. Master sent this one to be a guard."

"A little child?" Sesshomaru marveled. "He employed a scared child to protect her? But why?"

"Where is she?" Sesshomaru asked the girl, maintaining his grip on her shoulder and his gaze into her eyes.

"It's in there," she pointed, "but it's scary—something wrong in there."

Sesshomaru stood and turned his head in the direction of the girl's fingers. He assessed what he knew: _"Naraku had used a bird incarnation to capture the one known as Jennifer and had set her in a room adjoining this one. The two little girls Sesshomaru had encountered were charged by Naraku to guard the human from me. And by this one's words there may be yet another creature in that room with her. But, why? Did the sinister half-demon actually think one as great and as mighty as Lord Sesshomaru to be taken down by such children?"_

The little ghost's renewed shouting interrupted Sesshomaru's thoughts.

"Do not leave this one alone! It's very scary!!" the crybaby wailed, running over to and clinging once more onto Sesshomaru's leg.

"Let go!" he spat at her.

The girl pretended not to hear. "Don't go in there!" she pleaded, "It is bad! A bad girl!"

Sesshomaru looked once more at the sliding wall, temporarily forgetting the blubbering child. It seemed that door to the hall, when completely opened, shut the two rooms from each other. So when the door was shut, the rooms were one. He then thought of the two energies in the rooms. The child's was timid and hidden, not revealing herself until he had opened the door, thus shutting off the adjacent room and the evil presence within.

Sesshomaru thus concluded that what he sought would be in that room. He stepped forward on his right foot and reached out to touch the sliding paper door.

"No!!" the girl begged, tugging hard on Sesshomaru's pants, "Tall man doesn't understand. It the girl evil. Tall man must not open the door!"

Sesshomaru kicked at the girl, dislodging her from his leg and several feet across the floor to the kotatsu. Neither her presence, nor her confusing manner of speech would he stand anymore. The child cried of course, but Sesshomaru did not waste another thought on her. He flung open the door, slamming it into the opposite wall, shutting the door to the hall and his only source of light.

...

In the darkness, Sesshomaru's golden eyes peered into the hidden room. Through the dark, as black as night, Sesshomaru detected not the evil presence he deduced had to exist, but he could determine the faint silhouette of a long humanoid form sprawled on the floor. He narrowed his eyes to focus on the finer details of the obviously female figure.

Sesshomaru crossed the threshold into the new room, and the sleeping figure did not stir. Another step. Sesshomaru took in the smell of the room, but stopped mid-breath. The scent of the room was one he had not smelled in a long while. The sweet scent of sweat, dirt and human stink, the scent of the one he had come to reclaim. The scent of his—

Four large oil lamps suddenly flickered to life. The small room was immediately lit and Sesshomaru could full gaze upon the clothed young human. Wearing the loosely tied shirt of Sesshomaru and what remained of the shredded pants, she lay as if flung haphazardly across the ground.

Sesshomaru was no doubt and excited and relieved at the same time, but if asked would have flippantly denied ever experiencing either emotion. And yet his countenance displayed wariness. He thought on how easy it was to find her.

Sesshomaru took another step into the room, suspiciously gazing upon the face he had not seen in so long. The beautiful face was no different than he had last seen her. She had a long, mature face, with freckles adorning her pale cheeks; her long frizzy hair lay about in elegant tresses against her face and on the floor.

Before Sesshomaru could take his next step, bringing him to no more than three feet from the girl, her eyes fluttered open.

With this, Sesshomaru became excited, but quickly masked this sign of emotion with cool indifference.

She looked around the room blindly at first, and groggily pulled herself to sitting position, holding her head in her right hand. Her head turned toward Sesshomaru and after a second of letting her eyes re-focus, she smiled at what she saw.

"Sesshomaru!" she exclaimed.

Sesshomaru didn't know how to respond. The girl he had planned on rescuing was there before his eyes. Right there. Naraku must have left her and fled. Now Sesshomaru could take her back.

But why?

What purpose did he have with her? How will it be once they returned to the cave? Does life go back to the way it was before—separation and lonely isolation of the girl and himself? It wasn't like he personally felt for the human, but over the month or so of having known her, he felt that she was his to protect from the world.

The teenaged woman rose wobbly to her feet. Sesshomaru u moved forward on instinct should she stumble. Her sweet smile never fading, she nearly floated toward Sesshomaru. Her arms outstretched, she grasped him in to a hug. Her arms gracefully avoided the sharp barbs of his armor, her gorgeous head of hair lying gently on his fluffy pelt.

For several seconds they stayed like that, Sesshomaru at a loss for words. Quickly recovering he reached his only hand to take hold of her left shoulder, gently pushing her away.

"Off," he said, almost as if he wished he didn't have to be so hard. But his insight piqued when he moved her away from him. He shoulder...It was

"Thank you for saving me," she said, quickly moving herself from his grasp. She did not seem angered, and even playfully put her arms behind her back, swinging her shoulders from side to side like a child.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. He had done nothing. She had awakened by herself.

"You know..." she began, looking away as if she was fighting within herself to finish, "I really missed you." She looked up with a big smile.

Sesshomaru still said nothing.

"I can't wait to get back to the cave with you and Jaken," she said to his silence.

"_She is rather happy,"_ Sesshomaru thought, _"Has she completely about her imprisonment? Would she really so happily return to that mundane existence?"_

Then her expression changed, "Did you even care that Naraku captured me?!"

Sesshomaru's eyes widened. Such a sudden change in mood, surely this was she.

"Well?" she demanded of him, stepping forward and increasing his unease.

Sesshomaru pained himself to speak, "How were you captured?"

"Oh awful!!" she exclaimed, her expression changing once more, "It was so scary! He just appeared out of nowhere and transported me here."

"Who?" Sesshomaru asked with an edge of suspicion in his voice.

"Naraku..." Jennifer replied, "Who else?"

Sesshomaru, _"But Naraku was not the one who took her."_

"It's a good thing he did not harm you." He prodded.

"Oh yeah, I know! I guess it's pretty strange that all he did was lock me in this room."

"Yes..." Sesshomaru agreed, "very strange."

"_Strange that there are cuts and scars on her legs, and yet she admits not their existence."_

Sesshomaru stepped forward. The girl looked up and blinked her eyes. Sesshomaru inwardly scowled.

"_This copy is almost convincing."_

Sesshomaru called her name. She only continued to stare and blinked.

A second later, "What?"

A second too late.

Sesshomaru now had the proof he needed; this thing was not Jennifer. He rushed forward bring forth his right hand, like a dagger.

In an instant the copy reacted and grabbed him by the wrist. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed and Jennifer smirked. Sesshomaru leapt backward and charged again, pulling his arm back. A bright yellow light shone around it as he flung it forward, lengthening and throwing the light whip at Naraku's puppet.

She merely ducked, taking the opportunity to come up on the inside. She smiled and launched a high kick. Sesshomaru leaned back just in time, her flexed foot just missing his chin. The ghost of Jennifer stepped forward, keeping the distance between them short. A second later, she launched her fists at him. Sesshomaru was too quick, however. He jumped back flawlessly and Jennifer only continued her pursuit.

Sesshomaru defended from her advances, leaping back into the parlor and onto the low table. The puppet strolled nimbly after him. She paused some five feet from him and moved her hand through her hair, smiling seductively. Sesshomaru merely stood and looked down upon the dirty, non-human. Sesshomaru, reflecting the copy's technique lasciviously moved his hand through his long, silver hair, slow and painstakingly deliberate. Sesshomaru felt the false one's anger (as well as some other things) arousing.

She growled lividly and immediately sought to counter his last attack. A flash of insight came into her otherwise dull pupils as she wrapped her hand around the yellow and purple sash around her waist. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow as she pulled loose the elaborate sash, letting the large, torn pants to fall to her ankles.

Fortunately the shirt she wore was long enough to cover her, but the removal of the ribbon, also caused the folded shirt to fall, revealing cleavage.

Sesshomaru faltered. Even he was male and, although against his wishes, reacted to these desperate actions of the insane, although female, human puppet.

But this was only temporary, for she soon resumed her charge against him, breaking Sesshomaru from his current conscious reality. Once seeing the trap she was trying to put him in, his determination increased. This would go on no longer.

The right instant before her punch would reach, the mighty Sesshomaru jumped high into the air, his head nearly touching the spacious 20ft. ceiling. Where Sesshomaru had just been, the girl's fist slapped only air. She tossed a furious glance upward just in time to see Sesshomaru to fall and land on her back.

He sprung lightly from the girl's crumpled body and raised his right arm forward, palm flexed and ready to spread the noxious poison from his claws as soon as she stood.

The slumped body of the girl puppet lay facedown on the table. Her eyes were closed and her body no longer moved from taking breaths. But Sesshomaru still stood poised; this was not over yet.

A second later Jennifer's eyes opened and her non-life was revived. In rage of remembrance she pushed herself up to her palms, letting the robes she wore hang open as well as her—

Sesshomaru did not waste his perfect chance. The girl was about to stand, when Sesshomaru lashed out and seized the girl by the throat. He dug his nails into the soft flesh of neck, crushing her vocal cords and windpipe. Blood spattered from the punctures in her throat as well as her mouth. Her eyes widened as she gasped for breath, but found none.

Sesshomaru was merciless, refusing to loosen his grip. He squeezed her torn larynx, releasing the poison held beneath his nails. The flesh around Jennifer's throat wrinkled to a gray-green color. Her puppet mouth opened to release a silent screech, more blood, dribbling down her chin and chest. Her eyes became glassy and wet, tears forming in their corners. With hesitant breath she gasped for the little air there was. Her eyes rolled over to look at Sesshomaru. She gazed into his eyes, and unwavering, he stared right back.

Tears welled and fell, emotional pain temporarily overwhelming her great physical pain.

"I...I love you," she mouthed.

Sesshomaru listened not, instead preferring to end her non-life.

The bloodied corpse fell to the floor.

Sesshomaru stared not at the mangled puppet, but at his blood-stained fingers. He turned his head toward the half-open door and wiped his hand on the fur cloak on his shoulder.

This would only be the first blood to fall.

And with that, Sesshomaru crossed the threshold in to the hall, determined more than ever to find and kill Naraku. Upon leaving, the girl, face contorted and sad, evaporated, any evidence of her death, even blood, fading along with it, until even the hair and Gollum from which she was created, blew away on an invisible wind.

**()()()()(endpart-a)()()()()**

**This chapter's really huge, so as a benefit to you, it's split in half, so you can have a break to comment on what you've read so far. But please so hurry on to Part B. You don't want to forget something you've just read if you take too much of a break...Thank you!**


	23. Chapter 20b

**A/N: Let's jump right back into this, without any further delay.**

**Strange Interlude**

**Chapter 20b**

The destruction of Naraku's last puppet led to a drastic change in the castle. A spell placed on the full-grown doll had made the castle confusing, labyrinthine, and dark. Once the doll was destroyed, so too was the curse, and now Sesshomaru's perception was altered to reveal a new set of halls, previously invisible to him, fully lit and wide.

Also made available along with the dozens of other rooms were dozens of other copies of Jennifer, big, small, old, and young, most not worth talking about. They were only scared little children that wasted the Son of the Great Dog General's time and patience. Every room with Jennifer's false aura led inevitably to a trap.

Naraku was so predictable.

By ignoring these aura-filled rooms, Sesshomaru could navigate quite easily through the house. Making his way through aura-less halls and rooms, Sesshomaru found that the deeper he went inside the palace, the sparser the rooms became and consequently, the fewer puppets he encountered. Sesshomaru traveled farther into the mansion's interior until one large foyer led to an open courtyard.

It was now fully dark outside; the fog was lifting as a full moon rose high into the night sky. The large garden was barren except for a single lanterned shack in the courtyard's center. The lantern swung gently in the slight night breeze. Its light dimly reflected a shroud of purple haze that seemed to be emanating from this little shrine house.

Sesshomaru sharpened his vision to peer through the small hut's wall. This castle shrine house a number of things indigenous to family shrines, but one thing noticeably stood out. Hung on the wall, like some religious icon or scroll, was the body of a child. But not just any child, this preteen girl was different, not like the countless dolls he was faced. This one was silent and lifeless, and he knew that she had to be Je—

With thunderous entrance the shrine door flung open, vibrating the old shack's structure and sending the lantern crashing to the ground. The glass shattered and the world became dark before Sesshomaru could see who had jumped out.

Sesshomaru blinked his eyes, now glowing and bright. Darkness would be no problem.

A looming figure, moonlit and white knelt in front of the small house. Rising slowly to his feet, the moonlight reflecting off his coat gave the figure a creepy glow. Light glistened off the dust as it swirled around the cloaked figure, adding to his formidable appearance. But Sesshomaru saw the baboon for what it truly was. Sesshomaru smirked; at last he had come to the final boss.

The man under the white baboon pelt gave an equally evil smile and speaking in a low voice to Sesshomaru said, "How brave you are, Lord Sesshomaru, for coming so far."

Sesshomaru reacted not and the fiendish half-demon continued, "Brave, however stupid."

This again failed to arouse a reaction from Sesshomaru. The tall and regal demon only maintained his smirk and narrowed gaze on his opponent.

But Naraku would not stop, "I still do not understand what the Great Lord Sesshomaru would want with a young human female. Surely he who is strongest and wisest among all creatures would never believe in the Prophecy of Kings."

Sesshomaru's smile vanished, "It is you, not I, who needs her strength. I am only here to prevent you from gaining it."

Naraku's hidden smile grew wider, "So you admit that once fulfilled, the girl will enable me with even greater strength than even you?"

Sesshomaru responded with Naraku's same coyness, "Again, lowly youkai, you misunderstand. You have plans to use this strength to destroy InuYasha. The strength itself poses no threat, but you fail to realize that I am the only one who will kill him!"

Before Naraku could even utter a response, Sesshomaru has launched his attack. He lunged forward, arm pulled back and hand pointed like a dagger. Within a quarter of a second, Sesshomaru had closed the distance between them and had stabbed Naraku's heart. His hand passed easily through fur, flesh, and bone, the three melting and fusing together as Sesshomaru's poison ate at them.

As quickly as he had pierced the heart of the one so evil, Sesshomaru removed his hand and leapt backward to admire his work. Naraku fell forward and coughed. Sesshomaru smiled and flicked the blood from his claws.

Naraku uttered another clearly audible cough, and a steady stream fell from his mouth. Sesshomaru took one step backward; it did not smell like blood.

Naraku lifted his head and the thing from his mouth solidified and lengthened, shooting out toward Sesshomaru. Without warning it slammed him in the chest and into the wall. The rapidly thickening wine wrapped itself quickly around Sesshomaru, his legs and arm, pinning him to the brick wall.

The white baboon closed his mouth, severing the branch from his tongue. Naraku then became translucent and floated to the top of the constricting wood, letting the large diameter tree become his left arm. Sesshomaru growled at the half-tree demon as well as his inability to break free from his trap. The greater Sesshomaru struggled, the more the vine pressed him into the wall.

Sesshomaru gritted his teeth and snarled, pushing himself to move the massive trunk. As expected, the massive trunk only pushed harder. Bricks shifted as they were pushed out of place. The wall still held together, but it wouldn't be long until it would break.

Naraku smirked from atop his huge horizontal tree, "No matter, how much you struggle, the constricting roots of my tree will never let you free."

Sesshomaru smiled to himself, _"Only a little more,"_ he thought.

Sesshomaru's muscles relaxed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Immediately, Sesshomaru released the breath with a great shout, releasing energy against the wriggling tree. His eyes flashed open in time to see a great ripple of the tree's bark form, gather speed, and smash into him and the wall.

This last push finally violated the wall's angle of repose, causing it to collapse.

Sesshomaru and the trunk fell bask into the house, the potential energy saved up by the tree released, causing him to be pushed back against and through several of the mansion's paper walls. As the massive, squirming and writhing trunk forced itself through the cracks and holes left by Sesshomaru, kinetic energy was lost into the walls, causing it to slow ever so slightly. Sesshomaru took advantage of this and increasing his own speed, came several inches away from the tree. The milliseconds drove on and when Sesshomaru was propelled back not two inches from the speeding tree's grasp, he leaned his body forward. When his feet touched the next steamed rice paper wall, his knees bent, muscles coiled and released, propelling him up and away from Naraku's limb as it sledge-hammered into the wall.

Sesshomaru continued up, bursting through the hard tiled roof back into the night.

But Naraku had maintained his control of his woody arm and had it shoot up after him. With a flick of his other wrist a new limb was formed and launched to hit Sesshomaru in the side. Sesshomaru, meanwhile, continued shooting up, fixing his gaze on the full lunar orb above him.

Steel-like boughs raced toward him, one at his right side coming toward his face and the earlier at his heel. In a few seconds the latter-mentioned branch would have enough speed to catch him, But Sesshomaru did not plan on being caught twice.

With a change in momentum Sesshomaru spinned and stopped in midair. The vertical tree shot past him, sweeping up his fluffy. Sesshomaru then swerved and planted his feet on the still ascending trunk, suddenly launching upward with it. The second branch was moved slightly, pointing now some fifty feet above Sesshomaru's head, while Naraku kept his left arm steady, letting it shoot higher and higher into the midnight night. He stabilized the branch's acceleration while added a burst of energy to his right arm. As it was aimed, it would collide with Sesshomaru within seconds.

Naraku chuckled as the branches collided covering Sesshomaru in a mass of writhing wood, but his confident smirk did not last long. His face suddenly contorted in shock and pain as a bright globe of light formed around the wrapped branches. A great force of energy cracked Naraku's wooden prison, sending chunks of charred wood to the ground.

Naraku growled in frustration. He flung back his burning arms and swinging them forward, sent another wave of wooden tentacles at the white demon. Sesshomaru, bright as the sun, stood watching his impending doom. Seconds away from immanent death, Sesshomaru launched himself straight at the dagger-like vines.

Two forces of wood and light, fire and earth met and of course fire burnt wood and light scorched earth. Sesshomaru, in a frantic charge, barreled through the ancient wood, shredding and subsequently turning to dust the formidable wooden arms. Naraku could only stand shocked as within a fraction of a second Sesshomaru had traveled the length of his foe's arms and charged headlong into the chest of the fiend.

A labored gasp escaped his lips as the man in the white baboon coat felt his insides vacant turn. **(A/N: A little inversion for ya!)** Shreds of baboon fur fluttered through and around Naraku, some following Sesshomaru, passing through the giant hole the villain housed in his gut.

Naraku gave a final exhale and glittered to dust, form fading into the unforgiving night. A small, wooden doll clattered on the cold ground, beheaded and threatening no more.

Sesshomaru stopped in midair and whirled around at the events just passed. Taking no more than a second to think upon his deeds and the mischief of the baboon, he then tilted his head toward the undamaged, dark hut, the house of Naraku's puppet no more.

Gliding toward the hard wooden door, only partially closed from the force at which it was opened, Sesshomaru thought on what else he might find lurking in its shadows. Drawing nearer to it, the smell of incense masking tears grew stronger.

Entering the cold hut Sesshomaru found a solitary lamp glowing faintly in the corner. Candle light danced intermittently on the bent silhouette of the poor human, the hanging doll. No more than twelve the girl seemed, the age spell not quite worn off, but dissolving away quicker now. The one thought to possess no soul clung frightfully to the smell of sadness. In the ripped, wrinkled, and dirty clothes she had found in Sesshomaru's closet, she looked almost like a sacrifice to the gods, a strange pagan ritual not common in Japan. Sesshomaru noticed dried beads of water at the girl's closed eyes. Crucifix-bound, he approached her. Her head and hair slumped forward, almost completely covering the left side of her face. Her arms were tied and hung above her head like she were Buddha tied by his thumbs, the frayed ropes cutting into her wrists. Her feet were also bound and laid against the wall, three feet from the floor and without support. It was a truly sad and frightening sight for anyone to behold.

This was it, thought Sesshomaru. The end. The girl was found and freed from the clutches of the poisonous half-demon.

Sesshomaru stepped closer, bringing two feet between the girl's face and his. Gazing upon the girl's naïve features, he compared them with the mental image he held of the girl he had known. Bright smiling lips and cheeks, every freckle flickered in the sunlight to show off her girlish charm.

Sesshomaru reached up and touched the face of the sleeping marionette.

"...Jennifer..."

A sudden snap as the ropes the hung Jennifer to wall tore, the girl's body, like a deadweight, plummeting down. Her hands, while bound, moved ever so slightly, bending at the elbows in order for her loop of arms to fall around Sesshomaru's neck.

The sudden tug on his body of her apparently saving herself, surprised Sesshomaru. He sought to lessen the strain on his neck and shoulders, by putting his arm underneath her. At this motion, the girl's eyebrows flinched, furrowed, then relaxed. The young one's head fell slowly toward Sesshomaru's face, resting gently on his cheek.

Resituating himself and the girl, Sesshomaru made it so her head, instead lay against his shoulder. A nonsensical syllable escaped Jennifer's lips. Sesshomaru reacted and called again her name, waiting for consciousness.

At these three syllables, a hiccup sounded from her stomach and suddenly she became much larger. Her arms and legs lengthened and strengthened, her face was reshaped and matured, curves forming, breast appearing, she returned to her rightful age.

This last change, Sesshomaru could feel against his armor, causing him to utter a meaningless sound of his own.

Curse lifted and ropes broken, the now full-sized female curled into a semi-fetal position in Sesshomaru's arm as he walked from the dark shrine into the wintered courtyard. Taking to the sky she and he finally headed home.

**()()(whatnow?)()()**

Meanwhile, in a dark, underground room beneath Naraku's mansion, a writhing, pulsating mound of flesh lay in exhaustion. It knew the intruder had left with what was his, but was powerless to stop the demon's flight. Oh, what a time to have to switch bodies, it complained. How it wished to be able to control its period of vulnerability. The mass had hoped that the stolen good could have fixed that, but now that she had been taken back it would have to rely on its own strength.

A weak conglomerate of demon parts was he that stayed sheltered in the castle basement, none to guard him save Kohaku, the only mind-slave the demon could keep. Until the rising sun they waited, at day's final break life for wad of flesh and Kohaku began anew.

**()()()()(endchaptertwenty)()()()()**

**A/N: Finally finished. I really enjoyed writing the scene where Sesshomaru finally found Jennifer. I could almost smell the incense! I hope that part didn't sound too much like I was emulating Jennifer to the level of goddess. I thought as I was typing the references to the Crucifix and Buddha that the passage might come off as sounding sacrilegious. Please realize that this was not my intention.**

**Also, I was kind of rushed to type this, so I didn't really have time to do much proofreading. If you spot any grammar or spelling errors, please tell me, so I can fix them. I also want to note that I'm not going to change the verb or negation inversions, cus I like 'em. If there are too many complaints—to where the majority of the three people who read this can't understand what's going on, I might have to, but until then, that how it go.**

**Well, peeps, that's all up in herre, so click that little button and send a right nice review, fo' rizzle, a'ight?**

**Thanks, and please go check out my Dragon Ball Z fic about me and Gaeamaker13 as Trunks and Vegeta. It's really funny, and although is full of inside jokes, it's still fun for everyone!!!**

**()(guffaw)()**


	24. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.**

**Strange Interlude**

**Chapter 21**

Jennifer woke the next morning, dazed and dizzy. Her head hurtbadly as did her wrists and ankles. The sun shone brightly through the room's circular sunroof, blinding her when she looked up to guess at the time. Crawling out of the wool blankets that were her bed, on wobbly legs she stood and made for the wooden door of her room.

She pushed on it slightly, the normally fast-swinging door that fiercely opened at the softest touch, today crashed into some object blocking the way of its sway. A bucket filled with water, having been bumped, let some of its contents splash out and spill onto the hard rock floor, floating across its surface to Jennifer's bare feet. A startled gasp let the adolescent and her audience know what she had hit.

Squatting low she quickly reached through the crack of the door and found the dripping water bucket. Inching it away from the area of the door's swing, Jennifer was able to exit the room, but the sudden act of standing up caused blood to rush to her head. She lost her balance and stumbled from the portico to the ground next to the still-sloshing, half-empty pail of water.

Holding her head and inhaling deeply, she tried to think on why she had been given a bucket. She thought hard on what day it was and what had happened the day before.

"_Let's see,"_ she thought, _"I remember talking to Sesshomaru…about…"_

Flashes of wood and air, night and flame flitted through her fragile psyche. Her mind wrapped loosely around these pictures of her night in the woods and the strange dream of fire. But her memory would not serve her to remember the rest of that day. She then saw several images that perplexed her even more so: a malevolent darkness she couldn't quite see, a sympathetic white warmth that had held her a while, and the sounds of the sobs of a small girl.

The darkness frightened her. Jennifer had never known the horrible loneliness that vision of evil exuded. What was it, she wondered. The more time spent dwelling on these thoughts, the closer Jennifer felt she was at an answer. The darkness flowed and undulated like tendrils of hair in water, emanating unsettling evil with every wave. His dusky red eyes, the whites of which barely showed through the smoky barrier between him and her, shone with malice and hatred. Jennifer sat on the ground, grasping the handle of the water pail, furrowing her eyebrows in concentration on that face; the name of the evil on the tip of her tongue.

The shutting of a nearby door and the appearance of Sesshomaru interrupted her thoughts.

"Awake, are you?" he asked her, staring down and raising an eyebrow to her position on the floor. "You experienced quite a fall; it is surprising that you are up."

Jennifer's concentration was broke and that clue to her missing memory was lost forever, "Huh?" she said confused. "I fell?"

"Yes," said Sesshomaru. "The cuts on your legs, the bruises on your head, arms, and ankles…were caused by a fall."

Jennifer rubbed her left wrist. She didn't remember falling.

Sesshomaru continued, "You must have been playing too close to the edge, slipped, and fallen down the mountain. That day I found you, very hurt, but still alive. You have been sleeping for three days now."

Jennifer thought a moment and nodded in confusion, as if she were still unsure of what Sesshomaru said was true.

"It's…Friday then?" she asked.

"No, girl, it's Thursday," Sesshomaru wearily replied.

Jennifer scratched her head, "Oh." Her eyes turned to the bucket of water, "Is my bath early this week?"

"Yes," answered he, noble ruler of the Western Lands, "you are filthy."

Jennifer briefly smiled and Sesshomaru walked listlessly to the mouth of the cave. A grunt, a slosh, and the shutting of the crude wooden door, led Sesshomaru to believe that the girl had returned to her room. And so he walked outside toward the plateau's edge and gazed into the morning sky, letting his thoughts float about him.

"_Apparently her memory was wiped clean. Naraku's doing? Or her own feeble mind's attempt to block the horrible? It can never be known what exactly Naraku did to her, or why he had given her up so easily. Something was wrong with Naraku that day. It was far too easy to destroy his puppets and see through his tricks. Could the self-proclaimed demon have actually weakened so? or was this another one of his traps? The girl is truly she, no mistake, and I sense no defilement or attempt at espionage. But how can the girl not remember her near two weeks in captivity? Her mind believes that time has not passed since her capture. She so easily accepted the lies I fed her; perhaps it is all the better that she not know the truth…"_

While the stoic demon lord stewed on complex thoughts, plots, and other things a demon such as he might think about, Jennifer lay in the shadow of the cave entrance looking out at her keeper. She knew she was given this chance to bathe, but she had the sneaking suspicion Sesshomaru was up to something. And so she watched him stand at the edge of the rock, great zephyrs pounding at him. He stood poised and still, immutable to the wind's fierce push. His gaze was intense, one that could not be broken, even with her obvious sneaking. Jennifer got close enough to determine the turned gaze of Sesshomaru, and settled into a staring stewing of her own.

"_Sesshomaru seems awfully quiet, almost as if sad or worried about something,"_ she pondered. _"I guess when I fell and was hurt physically, he was hurt emotionally. Could he really get so worked up over me? But that would go against his anti-emotion programming. The thought of him considering my health is a comforting one, but if so, why can't I remember the fall he said happened?"_

She silently rubbed her head, and let out a very audible sigh.

Jennifer watched wide-eyed as Sesshomaru's eyes once facing forward, glazed and contemplative, suddenly blinked and stared right at her.

Jennifer swallowed the gasp that was about to escape her lips. She had been found out, and now what would Sesshomaru do?

But, perhaps to go against Jennifer's expectations, Sesshomaru only blinked again, eyes forward once more, and took a step off the cliff.

Jennifer let loose the gasp she had held and scrambled forward to the edge of the mountain's plateau, gazing frantically for Sesshomaru. Several seconds passed that she looked among the trees for her dog-general prince, until she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Looking up, she found that Sesshomaru was already speeding away toward the horizon, ethereal being gliding above the treetops with the grace and speed of the flaming phoenix.

"Wow," Jennifer marveled, "How awesome it is to fly!"

* * *

Jennifer emerged an hour later, squeegying the last of her wet hair, ripping through the knots with her primitive comb. She had changed into one of the outfits Sesshomaru had gotten her, as she had used her excess bath water to clean her cherished American clothes. After hanging the tiny shirt and shorts on a clothesline, the girl from the future had set up in her room, Jennifer had time now to rest and straighten out her tangled, damp hair. 

"No shampoo, no conditioner, if he complains about my smell, how am I supposed to fix that without even a soap? Honestly!" she muttered, picking furiously at a wet wad of hair at the back of her head.

Jennifer walked through the main cave area, seating herself on a smooth rock jutting from the wall near the floor, a natural bench. She busied herself with deep thoughts as her hair was sorted and combed. She, the heavy footfalls and lumbering shadow noticed not, and gasped upon realizing Sesshomaru's approach, oh, say after he stood over her and a lock of long silver hair fell from his shoulder to hit her cheek.

"S-Sesshomaru-sama!" she blushed, quickly standing and backing away from him.

He stood upright, and plain-voiced to her spoke, "If you are done, let us then leave."

"Leave? Leave where? Where are we going?"

Sesshomaru tilted his head to glance curiously at the human female, "Are you not hungry?"

Jennifer slightly shook her head, _"What does that mean?"_ she thought, but then a loud and low growl rumbled from the pit of her stomach, sounding her body's response to Sesshomaru's question. Jennifer blushed.

Sesshomaru, instead of rolling his eyes, merely turned his head toward the bright light of day. With sudden entrance appeared the midget Jaken atop his two-headed dragon. Sesshomaru slowly made his way to the scaly steed. Jennifer frantically made smooth her semi-dry, imperfect back-length hair, and hurried after her keeper, dropping the white stone comb from her lap to the floor.

And soon they were off, Jennifer's so perfectly placed hair was blown askew by the winds and speed of their dragon courier. Sesshomaru's hair, on the other hand, flew gracefully behind him appearing as an undulating silvery cloud. Which village would they stop at today? Which village would suit their needs and the needy female with he precious food?

Sesshomaru's sole purpose was to keep the girl alive and in his cave, but why, he often asked himself. So selfishly he hid her, caged her, but why was it he so ardently kept her? When the half-demon Naraku had taken the girl away from him, Sesshomaru thought he could do well without her, but a silent nagging ate at him. He allowed her to be taken.

Now that Jennifer had returned to him, Sesshomaru would have to return to life before her capture. If he were to keep her, it would be necessary to feed her, and this Sesshomaru did not mind. But why didn't he mind? Why would he, Demon Lord of the Western Lands, go to the trouble of ransacking these villages for her? How bothersome it was, this whole ordeal of feeding his pet. Choosing a village to pillage wasn't hard; they were all easy targets for plunder, but to languid Sesshomaru, the entire act was just so…annoying:

Jaken would land the impressive dragon in the middle of town, amidst the crude stands of a bustling market, scaring the villagers out of their wits and away from their shops. Sometimes the braver of the male villagers would try and attack, thinking themselves strong enough to take on a demon, and Sesshomaru would have to step in and "fix" the problem; all this to much chiding from the human, Jennifer. She'd then walk around and hesitantly take from the poor merchant villagers what she needed, be it food or clothing, constantly faltering, muttering to herself, and complaining. Several hour-long minutes later, she with her armful would return to the dragon and the ordeal would be over, silence once again overtaking the trio.

"How bothersome and unnecessary," thought Sesshomaru. "And to think that this cycle is to begin again…" 

Down below, Ah-Un and company could see the scenery's swirl slow and become clearer. A quaint little village nestled in the foothills of a tall pike was approaching them, their day's objective. But today, rather than continue the former Tradition in Excellence, Sesshomaru ordered Jaken to land the two-headed beast some ways beyond the outskirts of this target mountain town.

Jaken followed his master's orders, but questioned as to the change of routine.

Sesshomaru answered, "It is tiring to have to trek so far and to so many villages. If we do not take an aggressive approach in dealing with this place, we may return again."

Jennifer silently agreed with his logic and jumped off. Sesshomaru made no attempt to follow.

"Aren't you coming with me?" she asked. She had never been without his escort.

Sesshomaru answered looking away, "I'd rather not."

Jennifer was perplexed, "You're…letting me go?" And when he didn't answer she elaborated, "You're actually going to let me go in the village by myself?" And when this also harbored no response from stone-faced Sesshomaru, assuming the positive, persistent Jennifer demanded of him, "But what if I run away?"

Sesshomaru, a sigh of weariness on his lips, replied, "You won't."

Jennifer, "How can you say that? You don't believe I can easily run and hide in the village?!"

A sudden puff of exhalation came from his thin nose when he answered, "If you had wanted to run away, you would have already done so."

Jennifer opened her mouth to speak, but she could think of nothing to challenge him. She fell quiet.

Until she managed to look up at Sesshomaru, asking, "You trust me?"

Sesshomaru suddenly made eye contact with her, _"Such a strange characteristic of humanity, this concept of trust,"_ then aloud, "If that is what you wish to call it, then yes. I trust you."

"_Oh my gosh! For Sesshomaru even this simple consideration is so out of character,"_ thought Jennifer.

But this still did not ease her, "Uh…er…what will I use for money? I can't just steal the food like I did when you and Jaken were around."

"Hold out your hand." Emotionless as usual, Sesshomaru spoke as he held out his fist. Long clawed fingers opened, releasing over a dozen gold coins into Jennifer's open palms.

"Wow," Jennifer mouthed.

* * *

Eloquently clad, Jennifer entered the dusty village. She noticed several pairs of eyes follow her as she crossed chicken feeding yards and feces-covered paths farther into the village. She walked up to the nearest farmer tending a small garden. 

"Excuse me," spoke she, paying close attention to her grammar and pronunciation, "I am interested in purchasing your vegetables. I am willing to pay a lot for them."

She showed the man her coins. The villager's eyes widened, golden hues reflecting off their glassy surfaces.

After only a second's hesitation did the farmer stutter a reply, "Wh-Why yes, Princess! R-Right away!"

"_Princess?"_

Jennifer examined herself: She was a foreigner, she was wearing a long elaborate kimono, and had entered a poor village with lots of money.

"_I see…"_ connived the ebony-haired fox.

The farmer showered her with the best of his produce, all in exchange for one of Sesshomaru's gold coins. This commotion attracted even more villagers who showed off their wares in hope of pleasing the foreign princess. Each one felt a strange lust toward those golden tokens of hers.

Jennifer bought lettuce and cabbage, apples and starfruit. From the villagers she obtained hand-woven silk and countless other things she was sure she could not truly afford or carry. Most of these items were frivolous and unnecessary, but Jennifer couldn't refuse the townpeople's generous offers. These people were so genial and familiar.

"Loyal villagers," she commanded them, raising her hand, "You have been very kind and have given me much of what I require, and for this I am very grateful, but there still remains one thing I need to purchase. What I require above all else is meat. Mayhap you all know where I may purchase some butchered pork or beef?"

The men and women of the village seemed to hesitate for a moment, before grabbing her things and rushing her down the road to a large, manor-style house.

The first farmer grabbed hold of her arm and talked to her as the others scurried around her, tugging at her silk sleeves and admiring her curly hair, "The man who lives here raises the pigs. It's the finest pork around, but the guy's a little crazy. He don't say much, especially since the fire."

The hurried party now arrived at the door of the pig farmer. The elder villager began to pound on the door, "Kenji! Kenji! Open up, there's a customer out here for ya! She's a princes, and she's got gold!"

"Kenji?" 

The door opened slightly. The boisterous crowd quieted a little. At the door was a young man about Jennifer's age. He had long brown hair, scruffy traces of beard, and brown eyes. When Jennifer looked into his large half-closed eyes, she felt a strange familiarity to them.

"This boy looks just like Kenji…" 

When the same realization hit the man, his sad eyes opened wide.

"Jennifer?"

"Kenji?"

The man-boy looked confused, "I-I thought you were dead."

Jennifer gasped, "What? Why?"

Kenji took Jennifer by the arms.

"You never arrived at my cousin's. We went searching for you, but only heard stories of wolf demons in the countryside. I was afraid you'd been eaten."

Jennifer responded, "Well, sort of. It's a long story."

Kenji was still amazed, "I can't believe it. You're really alive. His beautiful brown eyes were welling with tears. It both flattered and worried Jennifer.

She quickly wrapped her arms around him, "Kenji, I'm so glad to see you!"

Kenji immediately held her tight. He would never let her go.

The villagers around them stood staring for the longest time, until they began to put two and two together. A flurry of whispers then ensued.

* * *

Immediately after Jennifer had left on her _iter solum_, Sesshomaru jumped from his dragon and commanded Jaken to leave. 

"But master," the little toad protested, "What about the girl? Are we going to leave her here?"

"You are," Sesshomaru replied.

Jaken was taken aback, "I am!? What! What would I leave her for? What about you?"

"Then you want to wait for her?" Sesshomaru coolly responded.

Jaken was flabbergasted. How was it that every time he spoke, Sesshomaru would somehow find a way to turn his words around? He stuttered, "Wh-Why no! I just don't see why we'd just leave her here, is all. Not after you've been so fond of keeping her."

The instant he spoke, Jaken knew he would regret his words. He covered his mouth and closed his eyes, waiting for some frightening whack to befall his wrinkly bald head.

But nothing came. Sesshomaru only answered:

"Again, Jaken, only you are leaving. I will take care of things."

And with that the great lord leapt high into the air, taking his heavenly perch above the village.

Jaken sighed and turned Ah-Un around, "Sesshomaru lies then. His promise of trust was a lie."

From high above, Sesshomaru could view the entire town.

"_Trust,"_ he scoffed, _"Such an irrelevant concept. Who should care if I watch her. I know she would not try anything, but this is only for…"_

Sesshomaru watched Jennifer wander through the dirt roads, cautiously approaching the first villager. He watched the old man become frantic when she showed off the gold, and then nearly laughed when a rush of poor farmers surrounded her, holding up their valued produce.

Sesshomaru never did, of course. Joy was a ridiculous emotion.

Sesshomaru continued to watch. Jennifer had collected many things, all of which she could not herself carry. The throng of people around her then began taking her to a nearby house. The largest in the village, Sesshomaru observed. The door of the house slid open and there in front of her stood a young male.

Then something happened that he did not expect.

Jennifer threw her arms around the boy opposite her and they shared a deep embrace.

Sesshomaru's eyes flared. He was filled with such sudden rage that for the next few seconds he could not think.

* * *

Jennifer was so very happy to see Kenji. He was the closest thing she'd had to a true friend since arriving in the feudal era, so it was very comforting to get to hug him, and she was sure he felt the same. 

They broke their embrace and smiled at each other.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Kenji said, his eyes alight as she or the villagers around them had ever seen. "You have no idea how happy I am."

Jennifer smiled, "I'm glad too."

Kenji took her hand and took a step inside his house, "Do you want to come inside? I'll make something to eat, and you can relax and tell me where you've been."

Jennifer thought a moment. Sesshomaru wouldn't mind waiting a couple of hours for her.

"Sure," she smiled, stepping with him over the threshold.

But before she could take another step inside, a bright orange light whizzed by out of the corner of her eye. Her head snapped toward the offending vision and saw a giant fireball slam into a nearby hut, totally decimating it. Debris flew everywhere smoke furrowing from the wreckage.

Several more fireballs came immediately following the first, setting the surrounding houses ablaze. Kenji's hut was the only one seemingly unaffected by the unusual hailstorm.

The villagers panicked and fled, scurrying through street and field. Kenji gasped and on instinct whirled Jennifer around and held her close. She could feel his nervous breath catching in her hair. Jennifer watched in horror as the last of the villagers' huts was thrown apart by flame.

Then a great flash of white descended fiercely upon the confused group of villagers some twenty feet away from Kenji's stoop. The aura faded and there stood Sesshomaru, the fire all around them reflected his gaze.

In a burst of speed, the demon lunged forward and with his one arm snagged Jennifer around the middle, and ripping her away from Kenji's grasp, shot up into the air. Jennifer shrieked and looked back at the rapidly diminishing Kenji. He stared up at her with such sadness; it made Jennifer's eyes well with tears.

Sesshomaru tossed the girl aside. She flew some few feet behind him and was stopped by some unseen force. She was paralyzed in the air, staring down at her friend, unsure of what would happen next. Smoke was filtering high up into the air, shading her view, and causing her to cough. With smoke watering her eyes she saw what happened next:

Sesshomaru had prepared for one final attack. This would all end very soon. Jennifer screamed for Kenji to run, but Kenji, whether too far away to hear or perhaps accepting his fate, did not move.

With a great crack of thunder and the gigantic ball of flame was hurled toward the young man.

Through smoke, ash, and tear, Jennifer watched Kenji mouth three words seconds before the blast hit, and he was utterly destroyed.

"Kenji!" Jennifer screamed, the loud explosion muting her cry. Seconds later the smoke cleared, revealing a small crater where once a brave man stood.

"…I love you, too…" she whispered as Sesshomaru flew away from the desolate scene, mysteriously moving her along with him.

Jennifer wept the entire way. She kept her face hidden, disgraced, shamed, sad, and broken. Sesshomaru remained silent, and only slowly continued onward toward 'home', Jennifer involuntarily trailing behind him.

When they were near the mountain, Sesshomaru suddenly stopped. He descended and through the trees landed in a shady clearing, Jennifer landing softly next to him.

She hardly noticed the change, and when she did, wouldn't give it a second thought. Her thoughts still dwelled on the day's more important events.

"_How could he do this? To that harmless village? To Kenji? To me? That cruel! Heartless! … Beast! How could he? He said he trusted me to go alone. He told me he wouldn't interfere. And he went spying on me!_

"_I didn't do anything wrong! How could he just kill Kenji like that? I only just saw him. I only wanted to go inside his home! Why then would Sesshomaru kill him and the villagers? It's been so long since I's seen Kenji, and when I actually see him again, I have to watch him die!"_

Jennifer turned to look up at Sesshomaru for the first time since landing in the dusty little clearing. He stood straight, head turned toward the skies. He felt her gaze and slowly turned his head to stare down at her with his cold, emotionless eyes. Tears readily streamed down her face. No matter how much she was embarrassed of crying in front of him, she could not stop the flood of emotion.

"_Will he kill me too? Has he no regard for life at all?"_

"_She's crying again."_ Sesshomaru thought, _"I did nothing to warrant such. Foolish humans and their 'feelings'. The boy was a threat, and had to be eliminated._

"_A threat? To what? Surely not to me. No creature poses a threat to Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands and Son of the Great Dog General. But when they met in a hug, I felt…something."_

"_So evil and heartless! He really must have no care for anyone or anything. Would he have killed Kenji otherwise? If he understood human emotions, he would have been able to tell that Kenji and I meant no harm. We were good friends…really good friends, I guess. Could that be what Sesshomaru was trying to prevent? Me loving Kenji? But why would he care? He's an emotionless swine! He doesn't care for anybody but himself! Or…does he?_

"…

"_This is such a weird silence…"_

"Um…Sesshomaru-sama," she spoke quietly. His eyes returned again to her wet, ash-covered face. Strange though that this obviously unattractive sight was really quite beautiful to him. She continued, "Please tell me why you destroyed the village."

Sesshomaru again thought. Surely he, First Son of the Esteemed Dog General, King over all Lands Both West and South, would not be swayed by this one human girl. Then again, his father had fallen for a human. Why then couldn't he? Sesshomaru instantly pushed his thought from his mind. Preposterous.

"Complications arose that needed to be dealt with," he finally said

"_Complications?" thought Jennifer, "Does he mean Kenji?"_

She cleared her throat, "Sir? Would that be the boy I was with? Kenji?"

Sesshomaru's eyes darted farther away from her, so he would not have to see her pleading, ashen face. When he did this, Sesshomaru could then feel her eyes bore into the side of his head, quietly probing his mind for an answer. Could he admit to her that he maybe…? Should he tell her how he quite possibly had…? How could Sesshomaru even tell the girl what couldn't to himself even utter?

He took in a deep breath.

"I apologize…for making a scene at the village. I was watching you overhead. I did this to make sure you were…I was not planning to get involved. But when I saw you 'greet' that other human…so passionately, I felt…"

"Jealous?" Jennifer offered.

"Jealously?" he quickly returned, "A fickle human emotion. You dare impose that base human quality onto me, girl?"

Jennifer couldn't help but smile, _"He was jealous! That's so cute! Maybe he's not a heartless animal after all; maybe he actually cares about someone other than himself. On no! That 'someone else' is me! Does he like me then? Was he serious about that whole 'have my hanyou' business? That means…but why would he…" _broken, blushing thoughts continued to run through her head. Her pale, tear-stricken face suddenly became quite red. Sesshomaru noticed this and was perplexed.

But suddenly she looked up at him; a strange sympathetic, yet uneasy, smile came over her. She quickly stood, and Sesshomaru was surprised, wondering what next she would do.

Jennifer slowly walked towards him, unsure of what Sesshomaru would do when she did what she wanted to do, but when she was within a foot of him and she still had her head, she quit her hesitation. She smiled as good a smile as she could and flung herself onto him. Jennifer wrapped her arms around his tough arm and squeezed him, nuzzling her head into the fur of his shawl.

"_He must have been really mad when Kenji and I hugged. Oh, Sesshomaru!"_ she thought, but then aloud said, "I'm sorry."

Sesshomaru was shocked to say the least. He had no idea what she was sorry for, and also had no idea why he allowed her to get so close. Normally, he would have killed anyone who even thought of getting near him, but this human had changed that in him. Jennifer was different; she was special.

He awkwardly placed his own arm around her back and let it rest on her shoulder. _"Some hug,"_ the recesses of Jennifer's mind teased.

But Sesshomaru had some different thoughts, _"Yes, it was jealousy I felt. I have come to terms with that. But this other feeling…the one that spawned the jealousy. Could it really be care and concern for this human I feel? Do I love her?"_ He almost grimaced at the thought, _"But surely it is shameful for a demon to love a human." _But he allowed the audacious thought to continue, thinking, _"Who should care if I have feelings for this human? It is even more shameful, I think, to shun this love my father has given me. I should instead be thankful for it. Thankful for the attention, and the care, and the love."_

* * *

* * *

**A/N: Ugh, I really don't like that last line. Originally the line was: "I should be thankful that for the first time in my life, I feel whole." Ugh, but that's even grosser. Had to be changed. Quite a leap for old man Sesshomaru to be all in touch with his feelings and what not, but I did my best to kinda glaze over it. When I first wrote this chapter (over a year ago) it was Chapter 11. Can you imagine? This happening at Chapter 11. I mean, he would have just gotten her, they would have just encountered InuYasha, and the day before discussed the 'Have my hanyou.' thing. Too fast! Too fast indeed. Well, maybe not. Cuz now things have been moving pretty slow.**

**Next, I'm going to answer Kimiki's question. I already told her this, but here'll be a more detailed explanation. She asked if Strange Interlude was almost finished.**

**Gosh! You're so tired of the story already? I'm hurt! Sniff, Sniff. Not really.**

**Let's see…this was Chapter 21, and next to follow is a loneliness chapter, cuz Sesshomaru is still abandoning her. Some time will pass in this chapter and there'll be real desperation (Insert Confession and Confusion here). Then finally there is some actual interaction between the two and then a major fluff scene. So that brings us up to Chapter 24 and there we're not even halfway done. So I'd expect at least fifty chapters by the time all this is over. Le sigh…my epic is going to take a long, LONG time to relate.**

**But I'm so busy with my Extended Essay! Pout, pout. Well, at least tomorrow's Christmas. Hooray! Final Fantasy VII! Sore butt! Joy!**

**Well, everyone go read Crow T. R0bot's story like I told you to, like seven chapters ago. It's really good! He just needs to get off his arse and write Chapter 5!**

**Just kidding!**

**Well, there was something else I was going to say, but I can't remember. Oh yeah! Check out my bio page. There's a link to my blog. And also; In reference to the Latin in this chapter. I wanted to write 'lonely journey' or 'solo journey', but I couldn't think of the word in Latin of that adjective and could only think of _solus –a –um_ which means only, alone, and/or sole. Which kinda doesn't fit. 'her only journey' so it's weird: 'her journey that was alone'. Because in this phrasing, _solum_ modifies _iter_. Sigh. Well, maybe my Latin compadres can tell me the right word to use if any.**

**Happy Holidays!**


	25. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of InuYasha, but Jennifer and Kenji are characters of my own design.**

**Strange Interlude**

**Chapter 22**

The return to the cave was rather uneventful. It didn't matter. There was nothing. Emptiness. The drama of the evening had whittled Jennifer's state of mind to nothing. She was drained of feeling and life. Upon immediate return to her and Sesshomaru's rocky abode, Jaken greeted his master with his usual enthusiasm.

"Good Evening, milord! I trust everything is well."

But as usual, Jaken's master gave no response. Jaken would normally take his master's deliberate obliviousness of him in stride, but there was something wrong. His lord's face was set deep in thought as he placidly hurried past the little toad down his majestic hall. Confused, Jaken turned to the girl. She had been slowly trailing into the cave, shuffling her feet as she went. Jaken noticed a distinct glaze over her eyes and her limp, empty hands.

"No food tonight, eh?" Jaken concluded. "Serves you right, you little wench, whatever you did."

Jennifer jerked her head, surprised at Jaken's otherwise commonplace rudeness. With rapidly welling tears, she looked at him with the saddest eyes he had ever seen on demon or human. She appeared even more sad than that time when young Sesshomaru—

Jennifer whirled around and ran into her room, slamming the wooden slab of a door behind her. Loud sobs could be heard from within, but Jaken only shrugged.

Darkness ebbed and flowed in black and purple tides in Jennifer's inner-eye. Clouds of dark and dull colors burst and dispersed as she lamented the death of her dear Kenji. From that place of her collapse, she had not moved. Her pillow and hair were wet with tears and her eyes held several days of endless weeping.

She had not eaten; she had not slept. Every time she dozed off, haunting images of Kenji's body engulfed in flame crept into her head, and she'd wake screaming. The horrible event was stuck in her mind. Frantically she'd tried to dispel the images, but in frenzied return would the pictures of death grow stronger and more vibrant.

But Jennifer could not keep her eyes open forever. Her human need for sleep as well as her incessant fits of crying left her utterly enervated. Her breath and mind would wander aimlessly in the dark as she bordered consciousness, and until that last uneven breath fell and slow rhythmic ones began, would she fall asleep.

Now as the last traces of color faded into the recesses of darkness, the nightmare came.

Jennifer stood dressed extravagantly in her flowered robes in the center of a village. She was happy and content, strolling along the road past shops and huts. The familiar-faced villagers smiled at her and some even nodded in recognition. It was bliss. Jennifer walked down the jolly lane toward a large house. Jennifer had never seen this house before, but something within her felt it familiar. Arriving to the door and hearing the happy sound of children from within brought a sudden smile to her face.

_I remember now…This is my house. I live here._

The small mansion's door slid open and four curly heads bounded from the house, gleefully shouting and smiling hello at Jennifer.

She knew these children too, and waved after them. Then turning, she entered the light-filled house. If possible, Jennifer's smile widened more. What brought joy to her life was kneeling in front of her in the center of the room. Grinning, the man greeted her ohayo.

As if she knew all the steps, Jennifer bowed and knelt in front of him. But formality would not last long in this family. The sympathetic man reached out and took Jennifer by the hand.

"Welcome home," he whispered, leaning in close to her. Jennifer laid her head against his shoulders, the tip of her nose touching his neck, taking in his lovely scent. Their modest handholding soon turned into a passionate hug, and Jennifer's heart and soul swelled to the heavens.

Beside the young man were four empty teacups. And after a joy-filled tear strolled down the foreign girl's cheek, did she open her eyes and see them. A steaming ceramic pot of tea sat behind the cups, but it seemed no drink had ever been poured in them. Visible specks of dust adorned the rims of the tiny teacups and the more Jennifer kept her focus on them, the more secrets the teacups revealed.

Her spouse held her close and Jennifer could feel his benevolent warmth, but some odd coldness kept her from fully enjoying the loving embrace. The cups commanded all her attention. She explored their every crack, their every crevice. The dust lay thick in some places and thin in others. The glazed clay was a grainy white that the longer she stared, the greyer it became. Flaws emerged in its once shiny surface and the graceful and petit cups suddenly became quite ugly. One cup of the four was set apart from the rest, only a few inches away, and it was in this cup that Jennifer most lost her gaze in. This dustier, grayer, ceramic teacup seemed to wither and grow old before her eyes. She stared in wonder as its surface became rocky and weathered, fractured, and dark. An audible crack made her gasp before the entire cup crumbled into pieces. Jennifer turned her face back to Kenji's neck, but his familiar smell would not return. Instead her nose touched charred flesh. She broke Kenji's grasp and looked at his once young face. A featureless face stared back at her, black and burnt.

Jennifer shrieked and pushed the corpse away. The cold body fell to the side, its head bouncing against the hard wood floor.

Jennifer crawled backward, eyes fixed on the burnt body. Dregs of flame then spontaneously burst from the corpse and even set fire to the room.

Jennifer stared in horror at Kenji's mutilated face. The heat of the fire licked at her sleeves and socks, but Jennifer couldn't grasp the danger she was in. Her trance was broken a second later when screams other than her own could be heard. She managed to jerk her gaze toward the burned out door to see the fury at which the fire ate at the terrified villagers.

Smoke and ash filled the room and Jennifer coughed viciously. She scrambled toward the door, but could not get through the violent flames. In desperation she called out for help.

"Anyone! Please save me!" she called.

She broke out into tears and inched closer to the charred corpse of her would-be lover.

"Kenji! You can't be dead. Wake up…" she pleaded. "Save me…."

Wood from the rafters of the building cracked and fell all around them. The situation was hopeless. There was nothing that could be done. Jennifer pulled herself alongside Kenji's cooled and stiff body and managed to wrap her arms around his burned body and clothes. Tears clouding her vision, she thought she saw Kenji's face restored and locked lips with the haggard skeleton. Flame leapt upon her, scorching her body.

Searing pain jolted through Jennifer's entire body as she woke from her gruesome dream. A half-dozen quick breaths helped calm her and bring her back to reality. Jennifer looked around in the darkness as the dull moon's light streamed into the cold cave from the small skylight so high above her. Although she realized she was safe from flame in the cool dampness of Sesshomaru's cave, Jennifer could not free the stench of charred flesh from her nostrils.

But even the thought of her "safety" was discomforting. She was being housed by a killer. This depressed Jennifer even more. Not only could she not rid herself of these nightmarish dreams, the guilt of Kenji's death, and the destruction of his entire village, but now she had to continue living with the heartless fiend Sesshomaru.

"_What can I do?"_ she helplessly sobbed, collapsing back onto her futon.

I feel dead, so worn out. How long have I laid here? It seems like an eternity…It's so hard to breathe…But I don't even deserve to. I've let him go. He's not here. I won't see him ever again…

_My name is Kitaohji Kenji._

Kenji…I remember you. I'll always remember you. You cared for me…loved me… But why, Kenji? Why were you so kind to me? What's so special about me? I'm worthless…I couldn't save you…

"_Are you cold?"_

"_No, I'm okay."_

"_Here. Take my blanket. You must not be used to cold nights where you're from."_

"_Um…thank you," _

You thought of me, before even yourself. If only I could've been like you. If only I could've repaid your kindness. Why couldn't I be like you, Kenji? You are bright and innocent, but I committed murder.

I don't have a purpose here. It's pointless, I think, to continue on. Redundant and slow, I've only caused harm.

It's so cold, Kenji. Punishment, I guess. But the pain won't affect me for much longer. The darker it gets, the less I see. The less I see, the less I feel. Kenji, my eyes are sewn shut and the darkness is near absolute. I can no longer feel the bitter cold of night or the pins and needles in my head and stomach. I can't feel this dusty earth or even the life-giving sky. Breath has no meaning to me now. What would a dead soul have for it?

I'm sorry, Kenji. I'm sorry if I've kept you waiting.

…

A shallow exhale left Jennifer's mouth and she stopped breathing. Her body gave one final warning by sounding a beyond tolerable ringing through her head, but Jennifer would not rise from her determination. Several moments later, the sound went away, and Jennifer's starved, sore, worn, and torn body started to die.

The world was just turning white when a quiet voice said:

"Jennifer…stop this foolishness. You can't die like that, lying in your own worthlessness. That depression is a lie; you don't know how much your life means. So keep on living for the future; so many wonderful things await you. Do not feel sorry for me; my life never amounted to much. I was meant to die and you were meant to live. Don't ever feel at fault for my death, and do not blame the demon either. He only did it because…well, it hurts me to even say, but don't hate him. My death will have been for naught if you do. Now wake up, Jennifer…wake up and live…"

Jennifer's eyes flashed open, and life-giving oxygen returned to her lungs. She coughed at the sudden revival of her life, and struggled even then to keep it.

No, she silently pleaded, I want to stay here.

Jennifer sought for the power to move her muscles, and feebly tried to push herself to sit up. Struggling with all her might, she strained her day's unused and bruised arms to pull her body upright. Blurry blinks, brief breaths, and a buzzing brain gave Jennifer a new sense of existence. These movements were so uncommon to her that almost absolutely believed that it was not she who controlled her body.

Unable to stand, the starved girl inched over to the wall, awkwardly crawling and tripping over uneven planes of stone. Grasping at the wall's cold and dusty surface, Jennifer pulled herself to lean against it. Trying to balance herself to stand without the wall, however, only led to a face-plant on the hard rock. Wobbling forward, heavy breaths and feeble grunts were the result of the tiny teeters taken toward Jennifer's far-off goal of freedom.

With time, the unevenly balanced human arrived at the door. Her head was still reeling and her legs wobbled and shaked as she moved. Jennifer could not feel her body move beneath her, but knew that she somehow had control over the emaciated limbs. She felt unreal; she felt as if her consciousness was floating above the ground and moved via phantom limbs.

Jennifer walked into the empty hall and managed to stumble to the flat table-like boulder. Her body folded from under her, and in panic, Jennifer grabbed the edge of the table while the rest of her collapsed to her knees. Gasping, Jennifer struggled to pull herself up. She let out a cry of desperation and sighing, laid her head in her arms on the table.

Several tears escaped her lids and she shut them, mourning her pitiful existence. But a new sensation came upon her, a strange sensation not felt by her in over a week. A foreign air flitted through her nose and tingled her senses. Jennifer was shocked to smell something other than dank cave and tears. She smelled food.

Opening her eyes, Jennifer came upon a pleasant surprise. A bowl of cold porridge greeted her. Now ecstatic, Jennifer totally forgot her former frailty and leapt upon the bowl. She slopped the slightly sweetened rice into her mouth and reveled in the feel of the mushy substance down her throat. How quickly was her attitude revived when her lips felt food! Death and depression were pushed from her mind. Now all she could think of was life. She enjoyed every breath, every thought, and every sight of being alive.

And she had her friend Kenji to thank…

* * *

**A/N: It took a long time to punch this one out. If I had time and weren't chatting so much I'd update sooner…..lol. I've turned into quite the chatter. One can only guess how many times I've been up until three am talking to people…But! I only have to type the next chapter with a few alterations, and not totally pull it out my ass.**

**Please inform me if there are typos or grammatical errors. I actually appreciate when people point out my mistakes, so I can try to be better. OR as my sister would say…I'm only a perfectionist who loves to know she's right…**

**Grumble, grumble…**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. If all goes to plan expect a new chapter next month.**

**Oh, and check out my xanga if y'all have the time. There's a link on my profile page under "homepage".**

**Please Review!**


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